Deepak Kunzru Professor   B.Tech., 1968 M.S., Bucknell University, 1970 Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 1972   Phone: 91-512-2597193 email: dkunzru[AT]iitk.ac.in

Research Interests

• Microstructured reactors

• Catalytic and chemical reaction engineering

• Pyrolysis of hydrocarbons

• Petroleum processing

Brief Overview

Our research on microstructured reactors includes studies on monolith reactors and microreactors. A particularly attractive application of monoliths is in gas-liquid reactors such as catalytic hydrogenation and oxidation.  However, the potential for use of monoliths in multiphase reactions has not been fully realized. Our present research focuses on the possibility of replacing conventional catalysts with monoliths for hydrodesulfurization. The performance of these reactors in the slug flow regime is being studied. The development of nanocatalysts for hydrodesulfurization is also under investigation. Moreover, microreactors for producing hydrogen for fuel cell applications by steam reforming of ethanol are being developed. The ongoing work in this area includes development of catalysts for the three main reactions (steam reforming, water-gas shift and preferential oxidation of CO), fabrication of microreactors using the developed catalysts and integration of these with microheat exchangers.

Awards and Honours

• Chevron Corporation Chair Professor, I.I.T. Kanpur (June 2007-June 2010)

• Fellow, Indian National Academy of Engineering (from January 2002)

• Fellow, The National Academy of Sciences, India ( since Dec.2009)

• Visiting Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, U.S.A., Oct-Dec.2009.

• G.M. Abhyankar Memorial Distinguished Fellowship, in Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai for 2010-2011.

• Herdillia award of Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, for excellence in basic research in Chemical Engineering(1992)

• The M.Tech. thesis, 'Catalytic Pyrolysis of Naphtha', by Mr. B. Basu, submitted under my supervision, won the second prize in the ISTE-IPCL 1991 Award for the Best Thesis in Chemical Engineering in India.

• Kuloor Memorial Award 1999, IIChE for best technical paper published in Indian Chemical Engineer in its issues of 1998

Selected Publications:

•  B.Mitra, J.P.Chakraborty and D.Kunzru, ‘Disproportionation of Toluene on ZSM5 Washcoated Monoliths’ , AIChE J., 2011 ( in press).

• N.R. Peela, A.Mubayi and D.Kunzru, ‘Steam Reforming of Ethanol Over Rh/CeO2/Al2O3 Catalysts in a Microchannel Reactor’, Chem. Eng. J., 2011( in press)., 2011 ( in press).

• A.K.Mogalicherla and D.Kunzru, ‘ Effect of Gas and Liquid Superficial Velocities on the Performance of Monolithic Reactors’, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 49,1631-1641,2010.

• A.K.Mogalicherla and D.Kunzru, ‘Performance of Monolithic Reactors in Film Flow’, Chem. Eng. Res. & Des. 88,1057-1066,2010.

• N.R.Peela, A.Mubayi and D.Kunzru, ‘Washcoating of γ-Alumina on Stainless Steel Microchannels’, Catalysis Today 147S, S17-S23, 2009.

• J.P.Chakraborty and D.Kunzru, ‘High Pressure Pyrolysis of n-Heptane’, J. Anal. Applied Pyrolysis 86, 44-52, 2009.

• D.Kunzru, ‘Hydrogen Production from Ethanol for Fuel Cell Applications’, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 13,359-366, 2008.

Complete List of Publications || Complete Resume (PDF format)