Dr. Arvind Kumar

Research Interests:

• Design and development of task specific ionic liquids/surface active ionic liquids
• Processing of biomass in ionic liquids for the recovery of value added materials
• Preparation and characterization of Ionogels for soft electronic devices
• Self assembly and molecular interactions in aqueous, non aqueous or ionic liquid medium
• Biopolymers-ionic liquids interactions and their colloidal formulations
• Ionic liquid microemulsion and nanomaterials synthesis
• Solution thermodynamics, phase equilibria and recovery of good quality salt and marine chemicals from sea/subsoil/lake brines, saline effluent management
• High purity solar salt and marine chemicals production
• Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations in Chemical Science and Technology; R&D Direction.

Awards and Honors

1. Gold Medal in M.Sc. (Kurukshetra University)
2. Junior Research Fellow (April, 1996-March, 1998), DST, Govt. of India
3. Senior Research Fellow (April, 1998-September, 1999), Govt. of India
4. DAAD Fellow, Karlsruhe University, Germany (April 2004-August 2005)
5. CSIR Rural Technology Award-Team Member (2008)
6. CSIR-Raman Research Fellow (2011-12). Advisor: Prof. Robin D. Rogers, University of Alabama, USA)
7. Membership Award Americal Chemical Society (2015-2018)
8. DST International Travel Grant Award, 2015
9. CRSI bronze medal 2017
10. D. Nasipuri Memorial Award 2017.

Membership of Academic Bodies:

1. Life Member Indian Thermodynamic Society (242)
2. Life Member Indian Science Congress (L27638)
3. Member American Chemical Society
4. Court Member-M.K. University Bhavnagar
5. Member of Academic Studies, S. P. University, V V Nagar

Ongoing/completed Projects

1. Separation of sodium chloride and sodium sulphate from solid waste of tanneries. Principal Investigator Funded by: AIHSTMA, Leather industries Chennai.
2. Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents Based Colloidal Formulations: Applications towards Light Harvesting and Gas Adsorption/Storage Materials. Principal Investigator Funded by: Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi-2017-2020.
3. To demonstrate production of high purity solar salt (NaCl >98.5%) in one of the salt pans in the state of Rajasthan (around Nawa region) with reduced levels of suspended impurities and improved process efficiency. Principal Investigator Funded by: Industry (M/s. Hindustan Unilever Limited)
4. Supra Institutional project under the 12th Five year Plan “High purity salt and recovery of valuable metal ions from marine resources (HPSMC)” Project Coordinator Funded by: CSIR, Govt. of India, New Delhi,
5. Investigations on Ionic Liquids Induced Structural Changes in Proteins: Binding Behaviour and Colloidal Formulations, Principal Investigator Funded by: Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi
6. Improving quality of salt (Below edible grade) to edible grade salt, through scientific intervention, in Deedwana region of the proposed site at Rajasthan” Principal Investigator, Funded by: SEED Division of DST, Govt. of India, New Delhi,
7. Green and Sustainable Room Temperature Ionic Liquids from Biorenewable Feedstocks: Synthesis, Physicochemical characterization, Self Assembly and Interaction with Biopolymers ‘Gelatin and Agarose’ Principal Investigator, Funded by: Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi
8. Structure-Property Correlation Studies of Imidazolium Based Room Temperature Ionic Liquids in Ethylene Glycol Derivatives: Thermodynamic and Spectroscopic Investigations, Principal Investigator, Funded by: Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi
9. Structure Properties Correlation Studies of Gelling Agar in Aqueous Media, Principal Investigator, Funded by: Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi
10. Utilization of distiller waste (aqueous CaCl₂/NaCl) of soda ash industry for production of muriate of potash from bittern generated as by-product of salt industry, Co-Investigator, Funded by: Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India
11. Feasibility study on saline effluent treatment of Viral Alkalis Ltd.: Recovery of valuable salts of high purity, Principal Investigator, Industry sponsored
12. Improving the quality and yield of salt produced by the marginal agarias in Gujarat and improving the income of agarias through bittern value addition, Principal Investigator, Funded by: Govt. of Gujarat
13. Investigations on physico-chemical properties of salt- water systems (Organic solvent + Salt-Water) Principal Investigator, Funded by: Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi
14. Exploratory studies on recovery of chemicals from tannery waste liquor, Co-Investigator, Funded by: Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Govt. of Tamil Nadu

International Collaborations

1. Prof. R. D. Rogers, USA
2. Prof. J. A. P. Coutinho, Portugal
3. Prof. Tohru Inoue, Japan
4. Prof. Werner Kunz, Germany
5. Prof. Nobou Kimizuka, KyusHu University, Japan
6. Detlef Nattland - Institut für Physikalische Chemie – KIT, Germany
7. Dr. Markus Drechsler, Laboratory for Soft Matter Electron Microscopy, Germany

Research Guidance

1. Dr. Tejwant Singh, thesis entitled, “Studies on room temperature ionic liquids and their application to gelling biopolymer agar/agarose”
2. Dr. Tushar J. Trivedi, thesis entitled, “Utilization of room temperature ionic liquids for processing of biopolymer “agarose”
3. Dr. K Srinivasa Rao, thesis entitled, “Studies on self-assembling behavior of surface active ionic liquids (SAILs) in aqueous and ionic liquid medium”
4. Dr. Pankaj Bharmoria, thesis entitled, “Studies on the Interaction of Surface Active Ionic Liquids with Biomacromolecules in Aqueous/Non Aqueous Medium” .
5. Dr. Praveen Singh Gehlot, thesis entitled " Studies on Self-Assemblies of Surface Active Ionic Liquids and Their Applications".
6. Presently guiding 6 research scholars for Ph.D. degree on the Studies related to Room Temperature Ionic Liquids and salt-water systems.
7. 20 research students have done M. Sc. and M. Phil dissertation work.
8. Twenty two research students are working under a CSIR-Supra Institutional Project on high purity salt and recovery of metal ions from marine resources.

Recent Plenary and Invited Talks

1. Invited talk in the conference by Indian Chemical Society at Kurukshetra University in November 2014
2. Plenary talk on “Ionic Liquids as Surfactants and Ionic Liquids-Polymers based Advanced Functional Materials” at a National Conference on Advances in Chemical Sciences held at Arya P G College, Kurukshetra University, 27^th February-2014.
3. Invited talk on “Ionic Liquids as Novel Solvents and Surfactants” at Department of Chemistry, NIT Jalandhar, October 7, 2013
4. Technologies related to salt & marine chemicals were presented to CSIR-Tech team by Dr. Arvind Kumar, 20-12-2013.
5. Invited talk on “Isothermal Titration Microcalorimetry of Self-Assembling Process of Surfactant Like Ionic Liquids in Aqueous and Ionic Liquid Medium” at a National Conference Conducted by Thermodynamic Society of India and held at BABASAHEB BHIMRAO AMBEKDAR UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW, 25^th November-2013.
6. Invited talk on temperature dependence of solubility of various salts in National Conference on thermodynamics at Chemistry Dept., Vallabh Vidyanagar, October 2014.
7. Invited talk at Vibrant–Kutch 2014 salt seminar organized by ISMA & GCCI in December 2014 on scientific aspects of high purity solar salt production.

Contact

Office: Salt and Marine Chemicals Discipline,

CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR),

G. B. Marg, Bhavnagar, Gujarat – 364002.

Phone: 91-278-2567040/7410,7460

Fax: 91-278-2567562

E-mail: arvind@csmcri.res.in; mailme_arvind@yahoo.com