Small-scale coal-to-chemicals can revitalize India’s petrochemicals industry, economy—Part 1

is a senior technologist at Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd. He completed his PhD in physics from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands in 2008 and his MSc in sensor systems technology from FH-Karlsruhe in Germany in 2003. Dr. Paluskar has been working with Tata Consulting Engineers since 2009 in the field of renewable and sustainable energy.

Dr. S. Sakthivel has worked as a Senior Technologist (Process) at Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd. since 2009. He completed a BTech degree in chemical engineering, an MTech degree in Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals (PRPC) from Anna University, and a PhD in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D). He has experience in process engineering, optimization and development; technology analysis, screening and selection; technoeconomic analysis; basic, applied and market research; design of laboratory and pilot experimental setup; process hazard analysis; planning and data management; and powder science and technology. He has published a number of research and technical papers in national and peer-reviewed international journals.

is chief technology officer (CTO) and senior vice president at Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) Ltd. He has a chemical engineering degree from ICT in Mumbai, India, with 25 years of extensive experience in refining, petrochemicals and technology management. Prior to joining TCE, he worked for Reliance Industries for 24 years. His last role at Reliance was chief of advanced technical services for Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery. He was instrumental in a significant debottlenecking of the original refinery and played a key role in concept-to-commissioning work of the second refinery at Jamnagar.