Four scientists, one patent: how PU turned dirty water into a hydrogen source

Four researchers at Panjab University have jointly received a patent for a technology that turns a wastewater treatment process into a source of clean hydrogen. Dr Pinki Sehrawat, Prof Sushil Kumar Kansal, Prof Surinder Kumar Mehta and Dr Surinder Singh are named as inventors on the patent, titled ‘Nanocomposite Material for Photocatalytic Dye Degradation and Hydrogen Generation Coupled with Benzyl Alcohol Conversion’.

The invention centres on a nanocomposite photocatalyst. When exposed to solar or visible light, it breaks down hazardous dyes present in wastewater and, in the same reaction, generates hydrogen gas. The university said the process further converts benzyl alcohol into benzaldehyde, a compound used widely in the pharmaceutical, fragrance and chemical industries.

University officials said the significance of the technology lies in how much it does in one step: it treats polluted water, produces renewable hydrogen and synthesises a commercially useful chemical, all through a single photocatalytic process rather than three separate systems.

The researchers said their work supports the objectives of India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission and could contribute to further research and skill development in fields including photocatalysis, nanotechnology, renewable energy and hydrogen production. They also noted its potential to strengthen ties between industry and academia and support India’s push for indigenous clean-energy technology.

The team acknowledged Panjab University for the support and laboratory facilities it provided throughout the research that led to the patent.

Wikimedia Commons/by Juichi1