Dr Piyali Das is a Senior Fellow and Associate Director of Pyrolytic Biofuels, Biochar and Green Chemicals area of Advanced Biofuels Division at TERI. She is also an adjunct faculty in the TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS).
She has a total of 2.6 years of post-doctoral research experience in the University of Southern California, USA; University of Trieste (Italy); and IIT Bombay, apart from around 20 years of research experience in pyrolysis & gasification and green fuels in TERI. She has also worked as a lecturer in chemistry (part time) from 1996-1997 in University of Calcutta. She completed her Masters in Chemistry (Spl. Physical) in 1995 and M. Tech. in Energy Science and Technology in 1998 from Jadavpur University, Calcutta. She obtained her doctorate in Energy Systems Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2004. Her research was on the studies on vacuum pyrolysis of biomass for liquid fuels.
In TERI, she has been leading research activities in liquid biofuel through thermochemical conversion route and developed technologies related to pyrolysis, biodiesel, biojet fuel, green methanol, green carbon pellets and carbon nanomaterial based H₂ storage to name a few and also working in the biofuel policy domain. She is also leading the project work on alternative green fuel adoption in Maritime Sector as PI under National Centre of Excellence on Green Port and Shipping (NCoEGPS) in TERI.
She has developed the PLC based gas-fired Pilot Pyrolysis Test Unit for pyrolysis oil and char from biomass, algae and waste sources (tyre, plastic & industrial) and is presently working on catalytic upgrading of bio oil to Sustainable aviation Fuel (SAF) and Sustainable Marine Fuel (SMF) and upscaling aspects of the pyrolysis technology. Her research areas include pyrolysis technology development, alternative transport fuel from bio oil through catalytic upgradation, bio oil for heat and bio-refinery applications, biodiesel, biochar, activated carbon and green chemicals.
Dr Das has over 20 scientific publications in international journals, 10 book chapters, and 8 granted patents in pyrolysis & nanotechnology based technologies to her credit as lead inventor. She has presented over 30 papers as an invited speaker in international conferences and Seminars and written over 10 book chapters. She has mentored over 10 post graduate students and has supervised PhD students in the field of bioenergy, biofuels and biomass-based carbon. She also led the first International Conference on Sustainable Fuels as Technical and Project Head and led over 25 projects as principal and co-principal investigator. She is also working on industry-funded projects for conversion of industrial wastes to industrial grade value added chemicals.
She has been awarded Bioenergy-Awards for Cutting Edge Research (B-ACER) Fellowship (2016-2017) by the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, and the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), TERI's Role of Honour in 2015, IRCC Research Award (IIT Bombay Best Research Paper Award 2013) based on highest ranking and best citation on Scopus database, ICS-UNIDO Fellowship for post-doctoral research in Biofuels and Chemicals from Bioresources in Trieste, Italy (2008), Best Paper Award at the National Renewable Energy Conference 2000 and is a recipient of the National Merit Scholarship.
She has been TASK force member of sub-committees like ‘Biomass to Drop-in Fuel & Biomass to Bio Crude for Co-Refining” under Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gases, “BIS Standard for Pyrolysis Oils” & BIS Principal Committee member of “Automotive Vehicles Running on Non-Conventional Energy Sources” BIS’s 3 Working Group Member of Task Force PCD 03: WG3, WG4 & WG5 on Methanol, Green Hydrogen, and Green Ammonia as Marine Fuels”, BIS Working Group Member on “Standards for Torrefied Pellets and Briquettes” under Ministry of Power, Govt of India. She has been National Expert Review Committee Member of CSIR to review and monitor Fast Track Translational (FTT) and Fast Track Commercialization (FTC) Projects under Energy (Conventional and Non-Conventional) and Energy Device theme
Dr Das has also participated in bilateral and multilateral collaborative projects and visited/worked in research laboratories such as Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, University of Southern California (USA), University of Trieste (Italy), UWA Centre for Energy, The University of Western Australia (UWA), The University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia), and Curtin University as a visiting scientist/researcher.
Email: piyalid@teri.res.in