Prof. Virendra Kumar Vijay is a professor at the Centre for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and is an acclaimed and internationally acknowledged scientist in rural technologies, transforming the higher education process, biogas enrichment & bottling technology for vehicular application (Compressed Biogas -CBG), bioenergy, etc. He has 37 years of Teaching, Research, and Outreach experience in renewable energy, rural development and technologies, biogas generation, enrichment & bottling technology for vehicular application, cow-based economy, etc., influencing several national policies and programs. Prof. Vijay is the national coordinator of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan – a flagship program of the Ministry of Education, GoI - transforming Students and faculty of the Higher Educational Institute of the country for inclusive education, and coordinator of the Biogas Development and Training Centre (BDTC), Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, GoI. He has been known for designing and developing small-scale biogas purification CBG and bottling technology for vehicular applications in India since 2002. IIT Delhi patented the water scrubbing technology in 2006 and licensed it to more than 11 industries, many Gaushalas, and young entrepreneurs for field implementation. IIT Delhi has been operating India’s first and only biogas car for the last 15 years, which has crossed more than 1,40,000 km run on biogas. Based on the data on the performance of the engine, emissions, derating, and degradation on the use of upgraded biogas in the car and its experience, the Bureau of Indian Standards formulated the IS 16087 Biomethane standard in India in 2013 ( Presently used for CBG) . He has also been the General Secretary of Biogas Forum India, A society promoting biogas and biofertilizers in India since 2011. Prof. Vijay has over 240 publications in journals and conferences, eight books, and one lab manual to his credit. He has also delivered over 250 invited lectures and talks and received numerous awards during his exemplary academic career. Dr. Rimika holds a Ph.D. and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. In addition, she has acquired a master’s in Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada, and an MBA from IMT Ghaziabad. With over 20 publications in international journals and conferences, Dr. Rimika’s contributions to green energy and sustainability are widely acknowledged. Dr. Kapoor has received several awards, including the Esch Award (Canada) on bioplastics-based organic sanitary pads and the 7th ENERTIA Award. She is the founder of Green Loop Clean Tech and is the principal innovator and waste management expert. As the founder of GreenLoop CleanTech, she continues to lead advancements in carbon accounting, ESG, life cycle assessment, and clean technologies, working with businesses and academic institutions to promote sustainable solutions globally. Sharang Dev Sharma is a PhD research scholar at the Centre for Rural Development and Technology (CRDT) at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Sharang’s PhD research currently focuses on optimizing the site suitability of compressed biogas (CBG) plants using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and multi-criteria analysis tools. Sharang completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He further advanced his expertise by earning a Master of Engineering in Information and Communication Technologies from the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand. His master’s thesis demonstrated his ability to integrate advanced analytical tools with sustainable energy solutions in the solar energy domain. Before starting his doctoral studies, Sharang gained substantial industry experience as a Planning Manager for the Seagate Technologies External HDD project for Asia at Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Thailand Limited, part of the New Kinpo Group in Taiwan. Dr. Vandit Vijay is working as a “Scientist C” at the Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bioenergy, Kapurthala (An autonomous institute of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India). He worked as an outstation postdoctoral research scientist with TU Delft, Netherlands, from 2019 to 2021 in their Negative Emissions Program. He completed his PhD from IIT Delhi from 2014 to 2019 on self-reliant energy systems for villages using locally available resources - ¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿¿ model. His major work areas at SSS-NIBE include biomass resource assessment and mapping, development of the National Biomass Atlas of India, biomass supply chains, and policies. His research also focuses on biomass utilisation through different conversion pathways for energy sufficiency in rural areas and carbon neutrality. He has experience in biogas and biodiesel production from different feedstocks and their utilisation for various energy applications, including biofuel-based IC Engines and sustainability analysis of bioenergy systems. He has more than 20 authored/co-authored publications. He has a B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering (2008 - 2012), and before joining the PhD program, he worked at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers from 2013 to 2014. Dr. Rahul Jain is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. He holds an industrial Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from IIT Delhi, conducted in collaboration with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd., under the prestigious Prime Minister’s Doctoral Research Fellowship. He also earned an MS in Energy from IIT Guwahati. Dr. Jain has made notable contributions to environmental science and technology. His research, published in esteemed journals and presented at prominent international forums, bridges the gap between technology and policy, particularly in waste management, the circular bioeconomy, bioremediation, climate change mitigation, and carbon capture. Dr. Jain was honoured with the International Biogas Industry Awards 2024 by WBA.
