Letter of Reference/Nomination

It gives me immense pleasure to nominate Dr. Shirish H. Sonawane for Kosala National

award Instituted by IIT Roorkee. I know Shirish from last 8 years. He usually visits my

research group in Institute of Chemical Technology for the discussions on various

research tasks. He has completed a DSTFast track research project on“Sonochemical

Carbonation project on CaCO3 synthesis and its applications. During this project work,

many times he met me for the guidance on technical issues. Three of his Ph.D. students

also worked in my research group for National Academy of Science Fellowship. We

jointly published number of research paper on polymer nanoparticle synthesis and insitu

polymerization process. Jointly we have completed one research project on development

of nanocontainers for anticorrosion coatings. In which we have filed one patent.

In 2009, he has received prestigious BOYSCAST Fellowship sponsored by Department

of Science and Technology to work on Sonochemistry and Nanotechnology research area

in the Sonochemistry research group in University of Melbourne. Based on his research

work he has published two research papers in Journal of Physical Chemistry (ACS) and

Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research (ACS). Dr. Sonawane has already

established his own research group in his institute. The receipt ofBOYCAST fellowship

means that his strong academic abilities have already been recognized bythe Indian

Scientific Organizations. He is an enthusiastic young researcher and has the potentialto

establish an expanded career in science and is capable of leading a large research team. I

visited his institute and interacted with his Ph.D. students.His contribution in

development of Chemical Reaction Engineering laboratory and research laboratory is

worthwhile. He is currently working on Environment and Forest project on Development

of low cost waste water treatment technology using hydrodynamic cavitation and

nanoparticles in collaboration with industry. Recently ISRO has sanctioned funds for him

for development of nano aluminum nanoparticles and its dispersion process for

propellent.

Corning Technology has donated a Rs.30 Lacs Advance Flow Reactor which is unique

facility available in India. He is now working with some pharmaceutical industries for

process development work.

He also has developed a good linkage with the industries for research work.With strong

engineering background and appropriate research approach, he contributed significantly

while designing and carrying number of experiments for our novel process development

for nanomaterial production-Hydrodynamic cavitation which is being commercialized

We have filed a patent on this innovative technology. I am helping him to make it

successful. He is working with some of industries such as Viral Floor care, Calchem

industries, BYK Chemie, Roxy chemicals for nanoproduct and process development.

It makes me proud to nominate Dr. Shirish H. Sonawane for Kohsala National Award

coatings then pollution is one of the important issue. Hence the proposal is very much

relevant to materials for the environment. Shirish has expertise in green processing and

Professor Aniruddha B Pandit, FNA, FTWAS

Professor an Dean, Chemical Engineering Department

Institute of Chemical Technology Matunga Mumbai

Annexure II

Significant contributions by the nominee during his/her/their career in India.

i. Overall focus of the work

Dr. Shirish Sonawane’s (nominee) major contributions in the engineering field are

centered on the development of various high–throughput processes in nanotechnology

and water treatment. Dr. Sonawane’s work has led to the development of new process

technologies that are commercially relevant. His work specifically focused on process

intensification techniques, hydrodynamic cavitation process, various sonochemical

processes, and microreactor–based processes. He further applied these processes for

high–quality nanoparticles production and treatment of complex wastewaters.

ii. Large–scale impact

Starting from the lab–scale research to develop novel processes, the nominee transferred

them to pilot–scale and made them ready to license for the local small–medium

enterprises (SMEs). The two pilot plants, one in Bengaluru and one in Ahmadabad, are

used for the production of nanoparticles and the wastewater treatment, respectively. The

nominee was granted 5 Indian patents, which notably benefited various industrial

organizations. He has filed additional 17 patent applications that are currently under

examination. Developing the indigenous process technologies has been the nominee’s

focus, which has greatly impacted the chemical engineering industry in India. Dr.

Sonawane implemented several short–term, time–targeted research programs that

addressed the problems in taking the laboratory research to the industry and he tackled

them with the help of his post–graduate students, thus creating a complete practical

framework for the technologies developed during his time.

iii. Specifics of research

Conventionally, nanoparticles were synthesized by “beaker–chemistry”, which lacked

quality control required for scale–up. Dr. Sonawane developed a sonochemical process,

modified it to suit the synthesis of various types of nanoparticles. He demonstrated the

synthesis of nanosized Mg(OH)2 for fire retardancy, CaCO3 for commercial composites,

Ca3(PO4)2 for rheology modification, pigments for coatings, TiO2 for sensors, ZnO for

anticorrosion, Bi2O3/ZrTiO4 for photoanodes, nanocontainer based release in polymer

coatings for corrosion inhibition and several others.

Further, the nominee ventured into hybrid hydrodynamic cavitation–based processes to

effectively treat the wastewater containing recalcitrant and harmful contaminants. He

adopted an integrated approach of combining hydrodynamic cavitation with various

advanced oxidation processes and designed continuous processes with high efficiency

and throughput. The nominee demonstrated the applicability of this work in the removal

of various dyes and pesticides. A number of customized hydrodynamic cavitation

processes for specific applications are scaled up for SMEs.

Recently, Dr. Sonawane started a cutting–edge research program focused on the

development of microreactor–based processes to synthesize technologically–challenging

organic chemicals and high–precision nanomaterials. He demonstrated the controlled

synthesis of extremely exothermic compounds such as performic acid, peracetic acid,

peroxypropionic acid, and pharmaceutical intermediate Tetrazol. He also extended the

application of microreactor–based processes to continuously produce an iron oxide,

silver, nickel, zinc sulfide, platinum, palladium, and copper chromite nanomaterials.

iv. Dissemination of research and its impact

The nominee’s publication profile shows the depth of his research impact in his field. He

has published over 200 articles in reputed SCI journals such as Nature Scientific Reports,

Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, Chemical Engineering Journal, Industrial Engineering

Chemistry Research, Journal of Hazardous Materials and Chemical Engineering and

Processing–Process Intensification, to name a few. Scopus citations of 3200 and H–index

of 35 show that Dr. Sonawane is one of the highly cited experts in his area of research.

Nonetheless, he also published 19 book chapters and 2 books with renowned publishers

such as Elsevier and Taylor & Francis. He has also delivered 40 invited talks within India

and abroad. The nominee has supervised 15 PhD and 8 M.Tech students who are well–

placed in the chemical engineering industry. Currently, he supervises 8 PhD students,

which are funded through various grants.

Dr. Sonawane established a mini center of excellence on ‘Sonoprocess Engineering for

Nanomaterials’ in 2013 to provide a research platform for international research groups,

local industry, and various research scholars within India. This mini center has been very

successful through which, the nominee initiated productive collaborations with Germany

(Dr. Gorak), Australia (Dr. Ashok Kumar), Portugal (Dr. Pinho), and Russia (Dr. Potoroko).

Moreover, Corning Industries generously donated Advanced Flow Reactors worth of

30,000 Euros to this mini center of excellence to boost the industry–academia

collaboration. The center is frequently used by Neuland Labs, Reddy’s Lab, Biocon,

Indian Oil, and Hetero Drugs for their ongoing process intensification studies.

Dr. Sonawane is an avid promotor of start–up culture in academia and actively supports

students’ ideas through technical, collaborative, and moral inputs. Currently, he mentors

two start–ups namely, Flowrhex Technologies (process intensification) and Reaction Box

(microreactor–based technologies).

v. Public and privately–funded projects

Dr. Sonawane’s research programs are well–funded by various government agencies and

industries in India. He has successfully completed projects funded by DST (Fast Track

Scheme), SERB, ISRO, DRDO, and Ministry of Environmental, Forest and Climate

Change (MoEF). Currently, he is running the projects totaling 5 crores funded by Ministry

of Electronics and Information Technology, MoEF, and DRDO. He is building a pilot–scale

plant of water treatment funded by the Clean Technology division of MoEF.

Dr. Sonawane is well sought–after consultant in the field of nano–based product

development and water treatment in India. He mainly works with Felix Industries,

Ahmedabad; K–Pack Systems, Bengaluru; Krishna Water & Chemical Services, Surat;

Roha Carbonates, Raigad; Jason Chemicals, Ahmedabad; Calchem Industries, Mumbai;

Hetero Drugs, Hyderabad; and Neuland Labs, Hyderabad.

vi. Awards and Fellowships

Dr. Sonawane has received several prestigious awards for his contributions to

engineering research. He is a recipient of prestigious Gandhian Young Technological

Innovation award GYTI-BIRAC, V.N.M.M. award of IIT Roorkee, Telangana Academy of

Sciences award, and Institution of Engineers India award. He is also a proud recipient of

DST’s BOYSCAST fellowship, European Commission’s Heritage Fellowship, and the

European Union’s Erasmus Mundus fellowship. The nominee also served as a visiting

professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal and provided the expertise on

nanotechnology–based water treatment. He is an elected fellow of Maharashtra Academy

of Sciences and a member of Indian Academy of Sciences. He is visiting professor to

South Ural State University Russia.

Annexure C-1 Details of Externally funded R&D Projects Handled:

As Principal Investigators

Title Duration Cost Funding agency

Process control of polymerization reactors 2008-10 1.50 Lacs

$2500 University of Pune

Ultrasound synthesis of functional nano latex 2009

5 Lacs $8333

BOYSCAST award, Government of India

Anticorrosive properties of nanocontainers using nanoparticles

2011-2013

10 Lacs $16666

Department of Science and Technology,

Government of India

Experimental and theoretical investigation of nanoparticle formation by ultrasound atomization process

2012-13 3.33 Lacs

$5500 Ministry of Human

Resource Development

Development of dispersion process of high solid containing propellant slurry with Al nanoparticles

2013-15 10.40 Lacs

$17333 Indian Space Research

Organization

Synthesis of nanohydrogel, and development of hybrid waste water treatment technique using cavitation technique and hydrogel

2013-16 58 Lacs $96666

Ministry of Environment and Forests

Prototype development of fuel cell 2014-17 104 Lacs $173333

Department of Information and

Technology, Government of India

Development of hybrid,self-healing coating using ultrasound assisted encapsulation approach for anticorrosion performance

2014-2017

34 Lacs $56666

Extramural Research & Intellectual Property

Rights, Defense Research and Development

Organization, India

Designing and assessment of a dynamic perfusion bioreactor for polymer guided bone regeneration by using mesenchymal stem cells

2014-2017

11.1 Lacs $18500

Department of Biotechnology,

Government of India

Development of cellulose acetate based membranes containing nanoparticles for fluoride removal from drinking water

2014-17 10 Lacs $16666

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India

Crystallization and Drying (Pedagogy IIT Kharagpur)

2015-17 8 Lacs $13333

Ministry of Human Resource Development

Development of hybrid waste water treatment system using ceramic membrane and Hydrodynamic cavitation (Prime minister Fellowship)

2016-17 7.2 Lacs

(Prime minister Fellowship) DST-CII and K Pack systems Pvt Ltd, Bangalore

Development of Pickling and polishing chemicals for coins

2015-17 3.4 Lacs India Govt. Mint, Hyderabad -Co

investigator

Development of starch based polyurethane nano-coatings for packaging application by sonochemical approach

2017-2019

15 Lac Indo-Tunisia Bilateral Project sponsored by DST, Govt. of India

Ultrasonic crystallization of biopolymer for food and dairy industry

2016-2018

15 Lac Indo-Russia bilateral project sponsored by DST, Govt. of India

Development of nanostructure electrodes and its applications

2017-2018

9.8 Lacs

Telangana State Council of Science and Technology (TSCOST), Hyderabad, Telangana

State

A Novel Hybrid System for Textile Dye Waste Water Treatment

2017-2019

15 Lac

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance

Council (BIRAC)-SRISTI- GYTI Award, A Government of India

Enterprise

Process Development for the production of Janus Nanoparticles for selected catalytic reactions

2018-2021

20.87 Lac SERB department of

Science and Technology GOI

Ultrasonic encapsulation of bioactive compounds to deliver in the food matrix

2018-2020

16 Lac Indo-Russia DST-RFBR

Annexure C-2 Details of Industry Sponsored Projects (Consultancy Works) during Last 10 years

Title Duration Cost Funding agency

Synthesis of nanoclay for polypropylene

using Indian Bentonite clay 2005-06

1.0 Lac

Roxy Chemicals

Rheological behavior of wet grinded CaCO3

slurry 2005-06 ----- Aquapharm India

Development of chemical Engineering

equipment 2007-08 1.10 Lacs

S.P. Engineers, Pune

Development of additives for diesel 2008-

2010

9.0 Lacs

Mulye and Associates,

USA

Development of paint using nano CaCO3 as

additives 2009-10 1 Lac

Viral Floor Care

Development of lithium ion batteries 2010-11 5 Lacs

AJ Organica

Synthesis PVC-nano CaCO3 dispersion 2010-

2011

1 Lac

Calchem Industries

Process development of superfine calcite

particles 2010-

2011

2 Lacs

Roha Carbonates

Nano aragonite pilot scale reactor 2012-13 1.8 Lacs

Felix Industries

Nano iron oxide pilot scale reactor 2012-13 3 Lacs

Felix Industries

Development of antiscalent polymer

membrane 2014-17

2 Lacs

Krishna Water

Treatment and

Chemicals, Surat

Development of inorganic nano pigments 2015-16 1 Lac

Jason specialty

chemicals, Nagpur

Feasibility analysis of hybrid waste water

treatment system 2015-16

0.30 Lacs

Megafine specialty

chemical Pvt Ltd,

Ahmadabad

Treatment of polymeric waste water 2016-

2017 0.86 Lacs

Felix Industries

Ahemadabad

Testing and Analysis of Performic Acid and

Peracetic acid through Advanced flow

reactor and microreactors

2017-

2018 0.65 Lacs

TROJAN

TECHNOLOGIES,

3020 Gore Road,

Canada N5V 4T7

Process Development of crystallization

process 2018 1.18

Hetero Drugs

Pvt Ltd Hyderabad

Scale up of Nano size Carbonate Particles 2018 1.5 Tansa Technologies

Hyderabad

Scale up of Cavitation based Crystallization

Process 2019 2.25

Hetero Drugs Pvt Ltd

Hyderabad

ANNEXURE IV: DETAILS OF PATENTS FILED AND GRANTED

Indian Patents filed

1. Shirish H. Sonawane, K. Anand kishore, S. Srinath, "Pickling and polishing chemicals

for blank coins and its process thereof, E-101/CHE/23479/2017.

2. Shirish H. Sonawane, Design and fabrication of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM)

fuel cell stack and its components, E-101/CHE/22190/2017.

3. Mohini S. Gaikwad, Shirish H. Sonanwane, Process for the preparation of L-Dopa from

L-Tyrosine

4. Shriram S. Sonawane, Vishal R. Parate, Sumit S. Pathak, Shirish H. Sonawane (2017)

“Development of Improved Pasta (Spaghetti) from Chemically Modified Gluten” Ref. No.:

201721005789, Application number.: TEMP/E-1/5734/2017-MUM, Date: 17/02/2017.

5. S. H. Sonawane, Uday D. Bagale, R. D. Kulkarni (2016) “Improved self healing

corrosion inhibition coating based on nanocapsule using sonochemical approach”

Application No. : 201641015326 A, Publication Date: 10/06/2016.

6. S. H. Sonawane, Shabana Shaik and S. Srinath (2015) “Dispersion of nanoparticles

into binder & plasticizer matrix and its process there of” Application No.: 6001/CHE/2015

A, Publication Date: 27/11/2015

7. S. H. Sonawane, Prashant L. Suryawanshi and P. Rajesh Kumar (2015) “Partial

replacement of Pt catalyst using non-noble functional nanomaterials” Application No.:

5619/CHE/2015 A, Publication Date: 19/10/2015

8. S. H. Sonawane, Abhijeet Kulkarni and R Satish Babu (2015) “Continuous solution

phase production of beta peptide using spiral copper channel microreactor” Application

No.: 635/CHE/2015, Publication Date: 9/02/2015

9. S. H. Sonawane and Niraj Sikwal (2014) “Process for production of nano size iron oxide

pigment” Application No.: 490/CHE/2014, Publication Date: 03/02/2014

10. S. H. Sonawane, S. A. Kapole, R. D. Kulkarni, A. B. Pandit, B. A. Bhanvase, D. V.

Pinjari and P. R. Gogate (2013) “Synthesis of corrosion inhibiting nano pigment

comprising of nano pigment container for corrosion inhibitive coating” Application No.:

1539/MUM/2012, Publication Date: 22/06/2012

11. S. H. Sonawane, R. D. Kulkarni, S. Mishra, A. B. Pandit, S. Gumfekar, L. Ramjee, K.

J. Kunte, K.H. Kate (2011) “Synthesis of carbonate nanoparticles by new recycle reactor

using cavitation technique” Application No.: 3546/MUM/2011, Publication Date:

02/08/2013

12. S. H Sonawane, K. J Kunte and S. R. Shirsath (2011) “System for production of

carbonate nanoparticles and a process for synthesis of the same using the said system”

Application No.: 713/MUM/2011 A, Publication Date: 26/07/2013

13. S. H. Sonawane, Kalpana Joshi, S. A Ghodke and S. E Karekar (2011) “System for

encapsulation and release of fragrant molecules using nanocontainer submitted under

evaluation” Application No.3583/MUM/2011 A, Publication Date: 10/02/2012

14. S. H. Sonawane, S. Gumfekar, K. Kate, K. J. Kunte and L. Ramjee (2009) “System

for production of nanoparticles based on principle of hydrodynamic cavitation and

synthesis procedure of nanoparticles using the same and a process thereof” Indian Patent

No.: 700/MUM/2009

15. S. H. Sonawane, C. Kapadnis, B. A. Bhanavase, S. Gumfekar and K. Kate (2009)

“Method of insertion of gas in ultrasound reactor and synthesis procedure of nano

carbonate material using the same and a process thereof” Indian Patent No.:

699/MUM/2009

16. S. H. Sonawane, M. Parande, A. Bane and S. Phadtare (2007) “A process for making

intercalated and exfoliated nanoclay and nanocomposite” Indian Patent No.:

2307/MUM/2007

17. S. H. Sonawane, R. D. Kulkarni and S. Mishra (2004) “Utilization of nano-extenders

for part replacement of TiO2 for enhancement of hiding power of surface coatings” Indian

Patent No.: 11/MUM/2004

Indian Patents Granted

1. S. H. Sonawane, Bharat A Bhanvase, Pydi Setty and S. Srinath (2013) “System

for preparation of nano organic pigment dispersions using cavitation reactors” Application

No.: 233/MUM/2013 A, Publication Date: 29/01/2019

2. Shirish H. Sonawane, Yadagiri Maralla, Dr. G. Uday Bhaskar Babu, Mr. Komel

Ansari, Mr. Aditya Deshmukh (2018) “Particle size reduction of pharmaceutical

material/drugs using innovative crystallization process”, Application No.201841033163 A,

Publication Date : 14/09/2018.

3. Shriram S. Sonawane, Vishal R. Parate, Sumit S. Pathak, Shirish H. Sonawane

(2017), “Development of improved pasta (spaghetti) from chemically modified gluten”,

Application No.201721005789 A, Publication Date: 08/09/2017.

4. S. H Sonawane, K. J. Kunte and S. R. Shirsath (2011) “System for production of

carbonate nanoparticles and a process for synthesis of the same using the said system”

Application No.: 713/MUM/2011, Publication Date: 26/07/2013.

5. S. H. Sonawane, Kalpana Joshi, S. A Ghodke and S. E Karekar (2011) “System

for encapsulation and release of fragrant molecules using nanocontainer submitted under

evaluation” Application No.3583/MUM/2011, Indian Patent No. 286560, and Date of

Grant: 23/08/2017.