In a boost, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has entered into a research collaboration on sustainability with Sotacarbo - Società Tecnologie Avanzate Carbone SpA, which is an Italian company. Researchers from both organisations will take up three projects: Combustion and Oxy-Combustion, Biomass Gasification, catalysts for CO2-to-methanol and syngas-to-methanol, as part of this tie-up, reports India Today.

Research groups from the National Centre for Catalysis Research (NCCR), the Department of Chemical Engineering and the National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD), IIT Madras, have already visited the Sotacarbo campus in Italy and interacted with their team.

"Energy is an important focus of research in IIT Madras, and we welcome this opportunity to collaborate on the various identified areas on sustainable energy. We are grateful for your time and are confident that our faculty teams will work very well and deliver beyond expectations," said Ravindra Gettu, a professor at IIT Madras, while highlighting the importance of this collaboration.

"It was a no-brainer to begin working together (with IIT Madras) as we have so many areas of interest in common. It's early to say, but the first signs are all promising. This JDA will be beneficial to both sides, paving the way for new projects and exchange of both young researchers and students," said, Dr Gianni Serra, Director of International Relations, Sotacarbo.

"We picked IIT Madras because we appreciate their high level of experience in the same fields of research that are strategic for Italy and the Sardinian Region. This research needs a multidisciplinary approach, and Sotacarbo and IIT Madras bring to the table different expertise and know-how, which can easily complement themselves,", said Dr Alberto Pettinau, Sotacarbo Scientific Director, while explaining why IIT Madras was selected for this project.

Biomass Gassification

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