IITians develop safe catalysts for industrial use

Tribune News Service

Mandi, October 11

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, have developed environmentally safe and cost-efficient heterogeneous catalysts for industrial applications.

A research team from the institution, led by Dr Venkata Krishnan, Associate Professor, School of Basic Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from the IIT-Ropar, is working towards the development of catalysts that enable industrial chemical reactions. A catalyst is a substance that can be added to a reaction to increase the reaction rate without getting consumed in the process. The team has recently developed a heterogeneous catalyst, based on easily available carbon, for hydrogenation – a class of reactions extensively used in the chemical industry.

Dr Krishnan said: “Almost all synthetic products we use in civilised life now rely on industrial preparations, which in turn make use of catalysts. With increasing concerns about the environmental effects of industrial chemical reactions, there is a heightened need to develop green catalysts that do not add significantly to the environmental pollution issues that are usually associated with industrial processes.”

“Hydrogenation reactions are commonly used to produce compounds such as aromatic alcohols that are extensively used in perfumes, pharmaceutical products, agrochemicals and fine chemicals. Traditional hydrogenation methods involve the reaction between hydrogen gas and various precursors, such as acids, aldehydes and ketones, collectively called carbonyl compounds. More recently, to avoid the exposure and cost issues associated with hydrogen, hydrogenation reactions make use of a safe hydrogen donor chemical,” he stated.