India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission just got a boost from a university patent

A patent awarded to a group of Panjab University researchers is being described by the institution as directly supporting India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission. The patent, for a ‘Nanocomposite Material for Photocatalytic Dye Degradation and Hydrogen Generation Coupled with Benzyl Alcohol Conversion’, has been granted to Dr Pinki Sehrawat, Prof Sushil Kumar Kansal, Prof Surinder Kumar Mehta and Dr Surinder Singh.

The core invention is a nanocomposite photocatalyst that degrades hazardous dyes present in wastewater while generating hydrogen under solar or visible light. According to the university, the same process converts benzyl alcohol into benzaldehyde, a chemical widely used in the pharmaceutical, fragrance and chemical industries.

University officials said the integrated technology brings together wastewater remediation, renewable hydrogen production and green chemical synthesis in a single process, positioning it as a practical, sustainable option for both environmental management and clean energy generation.

The research team said the technology’s alignment with the National Green Hydrogen Mission could open avenues for further research and skill development in photocatalysis, nanotechnology, renewable energy and hydrogen production. They added that it has the potential to promote industry-academia collaboration and support India’s development of indigenous clean-energy solutions.

The researchers acknowledged the support and facilities extended by Panjab University throughout the course of the project that led to the patent grant.

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