Development of rural bio-refineries in North India: Stopping the Punjab choking Delhi

Joint University of York GCRF IAA Meeting and Departmental Seminar

Monday 27 March 2017, 13:00 - 17:00 in Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, F106

In December 2015, Delhi was named as the ‘most polluted city in world’ surpassing Beijing. The uncontrolled burning of agricultural residues post-harvest in the Punjab (North India) is often cited as a significant factor as the particulate matter (smog) is transported south due to prevailing winds. Pollution in Delhi is so extreme it may have damaged the lung function of half the city’s 4.4 million children so severely that they will never fully recover. The purpose of this meeting is to explore the potential development of rural biorefineries in North India using advances in biotechnology, green chemistry and environmental sensing that offers a viable alternatives to burning of agricultural residues.

Programme

13:00

Dr Avtar Matharu, GCCE Acting Director. Welcome and background.

Dr Rachel Curwen, Research Development Associate. Overview of York’s activities in rice straw.

Professor Mark Hodson, Head of Department, Environment Department, Overview of activities in soil health.

1345

Dr Sanjukta Subudhi, The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), Delhi, India, Fellow & Area Convenor, Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology Division. Microbial production of second generation hydrogen via dark fermentation and Microbial production of 2,3-butanediol from renewable biomass.

1430

Prof RK Sharma, Green Chemistry Network Centre, Department of Chemistry, Delhi University, India. The biorefinery and reclamation: Silica-based materials for metal recovery.

1500

Prof SK Mehta, Department of Chemistry, Punjab University. Metal oxide nanoparticles as efficient scaffolds for chemical sensing and environmental remediation.

1530

Break/Refreshments/Networking

1700

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