(Brief Description / Abstract) :

Dr. Prashant S. Kulkarni has a highly interdisciplinary educational background. He completed his post-graduation in Organic Chemistry with Distinctions and has qualified in GATE, SET, and CSIR. Further, he obtained his Ph.D. degree from the Chemical Engineering Division, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India (formerly known as UDCT) in the year 2001. Subsequently, he moved to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC, DAE) as a prestigious KS Krishnan Fellow and worked on separating uranium from leach liquor and wastewater. After that, he joined Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy & Sustainable Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy as a post-doctoral fellow. In Rome, he was actively involved in the research project of Recovery of Titanium from Municipal Solid Waste. From 2004 to 2010, he worked as a Scientist at the Institute of Superior Technology and Centre for Green Chemical Technology, Lisbon, Portugal (EU). In Portugal, he extensively investigated the areas of ionic liquids, dioxins, and membranes and was ranked 1st by the Research Scientist selection committee of FCT, Portugal (2007). From 2010, he is working as a faculty and consultant at the Department of Applied Chemistry, DIAT, Pune, India, and heading the Laboratory of Energy and Environment. His research is focused on the interface of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering for solving critical problems in the field of Energy and Environment. He has developed several chemical processes, published high-impact research papers, including a single author (16 articles have an impact factor above 5), and filed patents (six applied and three granted). Well-known publishers have invited him to write book chapters for Encyclopedia and Handbook. He has visited various countries and delivered talks in the modern areas of Chemical Science and Technology. He has vast and varied experience in handling multiple research projects in the crucial areas of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Environmental Science. Recently, he was awarded a national science day medal by the Chairman, DRDO, to develop ionic liquid-based rocket fuel (2019).

Education:

• 1997 – 2001: Ph.D. Chemical Engineering Division, Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly UDCT), University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India. Dissertation: Studies in Heterogeneous Systems (Liquid Membrane Process)
• 1993 – 1995:  M.Sc.  Shivaji University Kolhapur, Kolhapur, India. Passed in First Class with Distinctions.
• 1990 – 1993:   B.Sc. D.B.F. Dayanand College of Arts & Science, Solapur. Shivaji University Kolhapur, India. Passed in First Class with Distinction.

Professional Experience (Institution, Position and Period):

Research Domains:

• Ionic Liquids Synthesis and Applications
• Desulfurization of Diesel Fuels
• Hydrogen – an Alternative Energy
• Heavy Metal Separations
• Energetic/ Phase Change Materials
• Molecularly Imprinted Polymers
• Selected Membrane Processes
• Nanocatalysis for the Remediation of Organic Waste
• Treatment of Dioxins

Teaching Expertise

• Organic Chemistry
• Green and Industrial Chemistry
• Chemical Process Design
• Technology of High Energetic Materials
• Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare
• Membrane Science and Technology
• Separation Science and Technology
• Safety, Health & Hazardous Material Management

Specific Projects:

Research Collaborations:

• Suppression of hydrogen flammability for aerostatic applications, ADRDE (DRDO), Agra
• Development of ionic liquid based hypergolic fuels, DRDL (DRDO), Hyderabad.
• Advanced energetic propellant for high performance propulsion systems, HEMRL (DRDO), Pune
• Separation of biofuels using membrane technology, DIBER (DRDO), Haldwani
• Development of Porous Adsorbent for Absorption of Carbon Dioxide, NMRL (DRDO), Ambernath
• Development of hydrogen by using photocatalytic process, NCL (CSIR), Pune

Ph.D Thesis Supervision:

M.Tech. Dissertation Supervision:

Summer/Winter Internships From other institutions Supervision:

Other Supervision:

Research Publications from 2010 to 2020:

Research Publications:

Journal Articles:

• Screening of zero valent mono/bimetallic catalysts and recommendation of Raney Ni (without reducing agent) for dechlorination of 4-chlorophenol, Chemosphere, 250 (2020) 126298.
• Ignition study of amine borane and cyanoborane based green hypergolic fuels, Combustion and Fuels, 210 (2019) 1.
• Separation of nitroaromatics from wastewater by using supported ionic liquid membranes, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 32 (2019) 100925.
• Studies on conversion of waste nitramine and fuel rich based propellants into liquid fertilizer and their performance on crop, Environmental Technology, 40 (8) (2019), 1035.
• Crosslinked polymer networks of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and hydroxyl terminated poly(dimethyl siloxane) (HTPDMS) as polymeric phase change material for thermal energy storage, Solar Energy, 181 (2019) 187.
• Ionic liquid (IL) capped MnO2 nanoparticles as an electrode material and IL as electrolyte for supercapacitor application, Renewable Energy, 126 (2018) 437.
• Studies on conversion of waste nitramine and fuel rich based propellants into liquid fertilizer and their performance on crop, Environmental Technology, Jan 5 (2018) 1.
• Extraction of toluene and n-heptane mixture using ionic liquid Aliquat 336 and mathematical, modeling for solvent selection, Separation Science & Technology, 53 (1) (2018) 61.
• Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) modified epoxy phase change polymer with dual properties of thermal storage and vibration damping, Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 2 (2018) 688.
• Thermal energy storage using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) incorporated hyperbranched polyurethane as solid-solid phase change material (PCM), Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 56 (49) (2017) 14401.
• Versatility of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in designing solid-solid phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal management and their application to innovative technologies - Review, Journal of Materials Chemistry - A, 5 (2017) 18379.
• Theoretical performance evaluation of hypergolic ionic liquid fuels with storable oxidizers, New Journal of Chemistry, 41 (2017) 9889.
• L-Proline Functionalized Dicationic Framework of Bifunctional Mesoporous Organosilica for the Simultaneous Removal of Lead and Nitrate Ions. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 5(5) (2017) 4188.
• Selective nanomolar detection of mercury using novel coumarin based fluorescent Hg(II)-ion imprinted polymer. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 246 (2017) 597.
• Aliphatic Hyperbranched Polyurethanes as Solid-Solid Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage. Thermo Chimica Acta, 650 (2017) 114.
• Ultrafast Igniting, Hypergolic Ionic Liquids with Enhanced Hydrophobicity. New Journal of Chemistry, 41 (2017) 1250.
• Shape-stabilized PEG-cellulose acetate blend preparation with superior PEG loading via microwave-assisted blending. Solar Energy, 144 (2017) 32.
• Investigation into the Hypergolic behavior of Pyridinium Salts containing Cyanoborohydride and Dicyanamide Anions with Oxidizer RFNA. Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics, 41 (2016) 1013.
• A diamino based resin modified silica composite for the selective recovery of tungsten from wastewater. Polymer International, 65 (2016) 1387.
• Ionic Liquid and Biofuel Blend: A Low-cost and High Performance Hypergolic Fuel for Propulsion Applications. Chemistry Select, 1 (2016) 1921.
• Efficacy of zero-valent copper (Cu0) nanoparticles and reducing agents for dechlorination of mono chloroaromatics. Chemosphere, 159 (2016) 359.
• Insight into the PEG-linked bis-imidazolium bridged framework of mesoporous organosilicas as ion exchangers. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 230 (2016) 145.
• Chitosan-Based Lead Ion-Imprinted Interpenetrating Polymer Network by Simultaneous Polymerization for Selective Extraction of Lead(II).  Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 55 (12) (2016) 3668.
• Interpenetrating Phase Change Polymer Networks Based On Crosslinked Polyethylene Glycol And Poly(Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate). Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 149 (2016) 266.
• Recent Advances in Silica-Based Materials for Removal of Hexavalent Chromium: A Review. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 60(9) (2015) 2521.
• Selective recovery of tungsten from printed circuit board recycling unit wastewater by using emulsion liquid membrane process. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 8 (2015) 75.
•  A molecularly imprinted polymer with flash column chromatography for the selective and continuous extraction of diphenyl amine. RSC Advances, 5 (2015) 73434.
• Temperature based adsorption studies of Cr(VI) using p-toluidine formaldehyde resin coated silica. New Journal of Chemistry, 39 (2015) 3687.
• Ion imprinted polymers for selective recognition of metal ions under various applications - a review. Environmental Science & Pollution Research, 22 (2015) 7375.
• Treatment of energetic material contaminated wastewater using ionic liquids. RSC Advances, 5 (2015) 20503.
• Polyethylene glycol grafted cotton as phase change polymer. Cellulose, 21(1) (2014) 685.
• Supported liquid membranes for the removal of dioxins. Environmental Science & Technology, 46(1) (2012) 462.
• Selective extraction of natural products with benign solvents and recovery by organophilic pervaporation: fractionation of D-limonene from orange peels. Green Chemistry, 12 (2010) 1990.
•  Deep desulfurization of diesel fuel using ionic liquids: current status and future challenges – Critical Review. Green Chemistry, 12 (2010) 1139.
• Shear-induced lamellar ionic liquid crystal foam. Liquid Crystals, 37 (2010) 377.
• Toxicological evaluation on human colon carcinoma cell line (CaCo-2) of ionic liquids based on imidazolium, guanidinium, ammonium, phosphonium, pyridinium & pyrrolidinium cations. Green Chemistry, 11 (2009) 1660.
• The Liquid Membrane Process for the Selective Recovery of Uranium from Industrial Leach Solutions. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 48 (2009) 3118.
• Capture of Dioxins by Ionic Liquids. Environmental Science & Technology, 42 (2008) 2570.
• Dioxins Sources & Current Remediation Technologies – A Review. Environment International, 34 (2008) 139.
• Physicochemical Properties of New Ionic Liquids Based on Ammonium, Imidazolium and Guanidinium Cations. Chemistry - a European Journal, 13 (2007) 8478.
• A comparative study on absorption and selectivity of organic vapors using ionic liquids based on imidazolium, quaternary ammonium and guanidinium cations. Chemistry – a European Journal, 13 (2007) 8470.
• Removal of Hexavalent Chromium by Membrane Based Hybrid Processes. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 46 (2007) 8176.
• Extraction of Titanium (IV) From Acidic Media by 2-Ethylhexyl Phosphonic Acid Mono-2-Ethylhexyl Ester. Hydrometallurgy, 77 (2005) 219.
•  Recovery of Uranium (VI) from Acidic Wastes Using Tri-n-octylphosphine Oxide and Sodium Carbonate Based Liquid Membranes. Chemical Engineering Journal, 92 (2003) 209. (Single Author)
• Studies on Membrane Stability and Recovery of Uranium (VI) from Aqueous Solutions Using a Liquid Emulsion Membrane (LEM) Process. Hydrometallurgy, 64 (2002) 49.
• Recovery of Molybdenum by Liquid Emulsion Membrane Extraction Process. Journal of Membrane Science, 201 (2002) 123.

Book Chapters:

• Dioxins (2019). In: Nriagu JO (ed.) Encyclopedia of Environmental Health - 2nd Edition., Burlington (USA): ELSEVIER.
• Cellulose Modification for Imparting Smartness: Thermoregulation, Self-Cleaning, Solar Cell and Electroacutation (Chapter 1). In: Md. I. H. Mondal (ed. 2015) Cellulose and Cellulose Composites: Modification, Characterization and Applications, ISBN: 978-1-63483-571-8, NOVA-SCIENCE, New York (USA).  
• Dioxins: Chapter 20 (2015). In: Lackner M., Winter F. and Agarwal A. (ed.) Handbook of Combustion volume. 2: Combustion Diagnostics and Pollutants, ISBN: 978-3-527-32449-1, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim (Germany).
• Dioxins (2011). In: Nriagu JO (ed.) Encyclopedia of Environmental Health, volume 2, pp. 83–92, ISBN: 978-0-444-52272-6, Burlington (USA): ELSEVIER.

Conference Papers:

Research/Review Submitted/Under Review:

Any Publications Submitted/Under Review:

Invited Talks:

Patents:

• Process for Grafting of Phase Change Material on Cellulose Fiber and Use Thereof, Patent filed (2020).
• A Process for Preparing Hypergolic Zwitterions from UDMH and Allyl Imidazole, Patent No. 201811023218.
• Method and Apparatus for Production of Non-flammable Hydrogen Gas, Patent No. MUM/201711034367.
• Process for grafting of phase change material on cellulose fiber and use thereof, Patent No. 1651/MUM/2014. Patent Granted.
• Extraction and recovery of energetic materials using ionic liquids, Patent No. 2731/MUM/2013, Patent Granted.
• Removal of dioxins and their analogs from gas flows comprises trapping via synthetic membranes and high stability ionic liquids. Patent No. PT103717, Patent Granted

Awards/Scholastic Achievements:

DRDO- National Science Award for contribution in hypergolic, bipropellant research (2019).

• Outstanding Reviewer award from Elsevier publishers (2015).
• Invited by Wiley for writing a Chapter in the Handbook of Combustion (2014).
• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) invited to address on Green Chemical Technology (2013).
• Invited to contribute a Chapter in Encyclopedia of Environmental Health (Elsevier, 2011).
• Ranked 1st by the Research Scientist selection committee of FCT, Portugal, EU (2007).
• Recipient of prestigious, Krishnan Fellow award from DAE, Govt. of India (2001).

Government Funded Projects:

Any Other:

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