The first secretary (Economic) at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi, Hilary McGeachy stressed on the importance of interaction between the academia and industry in addressing the scientific and technical challenges of the future. The Australia India council is functioning as an interface for promoting such interactions, she added. She also introduced the functioning of Australia India Council as an interface for promoting such interactions. McGeachy was speaking at a symposium on the theme of nano-porous materials for clean energy application at the Indian Institute of Petroleum here on Tuesday.
According to the institute director MO Garg, CSIR-IIP and CSIRO Manufacturing, Australia are committed to the development of energy efficient technologies related to clean fuel production, energy storage, climate change mitigation et cetera.
Nano-porous materials are at the heart of many industrial processes related to various processes and energy storage. Intervention of high performing functional porous materials in clean energy applications will become more and more important in coming years for bringing sustainability and low carbon footprint in the developmental agenda. This also gains significance in view of the global community’s recent commitment at COP21 summit at Paris to limit the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels.
Practicing scientists and engineers from academia and industry of India and Australia shared scientific ideas and developments in the field of nano-porous materials for clean energy applications. The theme of the symposium was also in alignment with one of the priority areas proposed in the Australia-India Council strategic plan 2015-19. The symposium saw technical sessions on design of porous materials, nano-porous materials in catalysis and adsorptive separation, porous materials in action, emerging energy materials in membrane and solar application.
According to the symposium organisers, about 82 delegates including scientists, officials and representatives of educational institutions and various organisations of Australia and India were among those present at the symposium.