Separation Science is crucial for advancing chemical process technology, particularly in Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS), Direct Air Capture (DAC), Net Zero Hydrogen (99.999%), Recovery of Monovalent ions, and the removal of trace-level contaminants. Despite the availability of conventional materials such as Zeolites, Alumina, Activated Carbon, and Carbon Molecular Sieves, industries are still in the early stages of implementing environmentally friendly technologies for cleaner energy and water management to achieve sustainability goals. Moreover, we are significantly behind in achieving the Net Zero targets set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and in meeting the water quality standards outlined by the World Health Organization, particularly in the treatment of emerging contaminants for sustainable water management.

This gap can be addressed by synthesizing advanced porous materials, such as Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs), and Zeolitic Imidazole Frameworks (ZIFs), and validating their performance in separation processes at the lab scale. However, challenges lie in ensuring the selectivity, stability, and scalability of these materials across various real-world conditions, especially when transitioning from microgram- to kilogram-scale process demonstrations. These challenges are further amplified when dealing with low concentrations, as in the case of DAC and emerging contaminants. Therefore, performing these experiments with precision is a unique characteristic of this tool, and developing actual processes from them is the most tangible output.

Having worked with both sides (academia and industry collaborators), my expertise in this domain could bridge this gap, as the key insights gained from materials synthesis, experimental characterization and design of instrumentation test rigs are valuable in developing pilot and industrial-scale designs for the industrial collaborators. The data obtained will also aid chemists, computational researchers, and process engineers in tuning material properties and in developing hybrid separation processes to enhance key performance indicators (KPIs). In short, the convergence of materials science and process engineering is key to advancing Applied Research in the Energy & Environmental domain. Therefore, my research theme underscores Materials and Process Characterizations for Advanced Separations (MPCAS).