The increasing demand for the energy consumption and drastic impacts of global warming has compelled the scientific community to work for alternative energy sources with reduced carbon footprint. Anthropogenic CO2 emissions, presents one of the most significant challenges that humanity has ever faced. It highlights a critical vulnerability in the annals of human history and has become a central issue in the global efforts to address the societal challenges and economic concerns worldwide.
Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) has been widely considered as a means to mitigate the CO2 emissions, employing solid sorbents, amine solvents, porous materials etc. Catalytic strategies, including catalysis, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis plays a pivotal role in activating the inert CO2 molecule and its conversion into value-added chemicals and fuels. Under the aegis of Catalysis Society of India (CSI) and CO2 India Network, the CEES-2024 conference at CSIR-IICT is expected to convene the active researchers from various fields related to energy and environment. This conference aims to establish a clear vision and roadmap for the fundamental and technological breakthroughs in R & D of catalysis in achieving carbon neutrality.
We welcome you to the “CO2-India Network 2nd Annual Meet” along with the conference on “Catalysis for Energy, Environment and Sustainability”. As many may be aware that this network was formed in 2021 to develop an integrated platform of scientists, academicians and researchers working in the area of CO2 mitigation by capture-conversion towards a bigger goal to address the issue of climate change and bringing in them together on a regular basis to meet in-person for exchange of knowledge/ ideas toward this noble goal.
The inaugural "CO2-India Network Annual Meet" convened in November 2022 at the esteemed Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, setting a precedent for collaborative discourse on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) initiatives. The 2nd annual meet took place in September 2023 at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, further solidifying the platform as a beacon of innovation and progress in the realm of carbon management. We eagerly anticipate the upcoming 3rd Annual Meeting to be held at CSIR-IICT would result in continuing this trajectory of excellence and impact.
To bridge the gap and facilitate the transition of India’s innovative research into tangible solutions, the CO India network was established (July 2021). This avant-garde consortium brings together a diverse group of experts from Indian academic institutions and leading industries, boasting a membership exceeding 1,000 individuals. This includes faculty members, scientists, postdoctoral researchers, students, and industry professionals who are actively involved in CO2, energy, and climate research. The network’s core membership comprises distinguished academic researchers in the domain of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) from prestigious institutions such as IIT, IISER, JNCASR, IISc, CSIR, DST, and Central Universities, in addition to experts from key industries (including Reliance, Adani, IOCL, BPCL, ONGC, NTPC and others). This underscores our dedication to promoting collaborative efforts and innovation in tackling the pressing challenges of climate change.
The Catalysis Society of India (CSI) was formally founded in March 1973 at Banaras with Prof. S.K. Bhattacharyya as the president and Prof. J.C. Kuriacose as the secretary. The main mandates of the CSI are to encourage catalysis research in India, to organize professional meetings between researchers, to enhance mutual interactions and to encourage cooperation between industry and academia. The growth of the membership of the CSI is a measure of the growth of catalysis research activity in the country. The present membership of the society is in excess of 750 compared to 75 in 1974. The CSI organizes (in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi) annual workshops lasting three weeks for graduate (Ph.D.) students in catalysis. The CSI organizes national symposia and workshops on catalysis on alternate years jointly with host organizations. So far, the CSI and host organizations have jointly organized 22 national symposia and 16 workshops. These meetings are well attended with about 300-600 participants. Besides, meetings (short symposia) are also arranged by the local chapters of the society for various reasons either alone or in collaboration with other agencies/societies. All these meetings have contributed enormously to the development of catalysis research in India.
