Coal, Material Science, Energy, Environmental Science, Nanomaterials, Waste valorization

Ongoing

• Carbonaceous Materials for Energy Application and Environmental Consequences in Modern Urbanization (OLP-2077)
• National Carbonaceous Aerosols Programme (NCAP) Working Group-III project NCAP-WGIII: National Carbonaceous Aerosol Emissions, Source Apportionment and Climate Effects (Funding Agency: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India (MOEFCC, GOI).
• Development of hybrid battery power module with indigenously developed super-capacitor and Li-ion cell (Funding Agency: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, New Delhi).

Completed: Funded Projects:

• Emissions from Coal-based Industries -Development of Predictive models (Funded by: Ministry of Coal, Govt. of India)
• Desulphurization of High Sulphur NE Indian coals (Funded by: Ministry of Coal, Govt. of India)
• Development of Feasibility Assessment Model for Adaptation of Underground Coal Gasification Technology in North East Region of India (Funded by: Ministry of Communication and Information Technology)
• Probing the changing atmosphere and its Impacts in Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) and Himalayan Regions (Project Acronym: AIM-IGPHim) (Funded by: CSIR, New Delhi)
• Feasibility study on High Pressure Catalytic Conversion of Non-Coking Coals to Produce Synthetic Coking coal (Funded by: TATA Steel, Jamshedpur).
• Development of Graphene supercapacitors using Northeastern coal for power applications (Funding Agency: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, New Delhi)

Inhouse Projects:

• Development of Env. friendly Technologies for gainful Utilization of high sulphur NE coals (Inhouse Project, Funded by CSIR).
• Clean Coal initiatives for Northeast Indian Coals (Inhouse Project, Funded by: CSIR, New Delhi).
• Sustainable Materials and Processes for Energy, Environment and Industry. WP-III: Value-added Products from Northeast Indian Coa, Polymers, and Biomass (Funded by CSIR New Delhi).

Fast-track translational Project (FTT):

• To develop a scale-up and size-controlled process for producing fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) .

Consultancy Project:

• Techno-economic studies for manufacturing of Coke Breeze from Konya Coal, Tuensang District, Nagaland (Funded by: DGM, Govt. of Nagaland)
• Feasibility studies for manufacturing of soil conditioner from coal and coal waste (Funded by: DGM, Govt. of Nagaland)
• Gradation of NE Indian Coals (Funded by: Coal India Limited, Margherita)
• Gradation (annual) of NE Indian Coals (Funded by: Coal India Limited, Margherita)
• Gradation of NE Indian Coals (Annual) (Funded by: Coal India Limited, Margherita)

• Transforming low-quality high-sulfur coal into porous heteroatom-doped carbon nano-onions for supercapacitor electrodes. Tonkeswar Das, Debashis Sarmah, Mousumi Bora, Prasenjit Saikia, Binoy k Saikia. Diamond and Related Materials, 2026, 113495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diamond.2026.113495
• Transforming Coal Byproducts into Novel Oxidase Mimetic Nanozyne for Colorimetric Detection of Mercury Ions. Tonkeswar Das, Pulakesh Borah, Masoom Saikia, Prasurjya Dutta, and Mansh R Das. ACS Sustainable Resource Management, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1021/acssusresmgt.5c00081.
• Unveils the macromolecular structure of high sulfur Indian coal for hydrogen production. Tonkeswar Das, Debashis Sarmah, Gaurav Jhaa, Bhargab Das, Preetom,Kishore Nath, Abhishek Borborah, Mousumi Bora.Journal of the Indian Chemical Society, 2025, 102 (2), 101558.
• Nanodiamonds Produced from Low-Grade Indian Coals. Tonkeswar Das and Binoy K. Saikia. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. (Web Edition ISSN: 2168 0485), 2017, 5 (11), 9619–9624.
• Blue-fluorescent and biocompatible carbon dots derived from abundant low-quality coals. Tonkeswar Das, Binoy K.Saikia, H.P.Dekaboruah, Manobjyoti Bordoloi, Dipankar Neog, Jayanta J.Bora, Jiumoni Lahkar, Bardwi Narzary, Sonali Roy, Danaboyina Ramaiah. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology (ISSN 1011-1344), 195, 1-11, 2019.
• Promising carbon nanosheet-based supercapacitor electrode materials from low-grade coals. Tonkeswar Das, Himani Chauhan, Sasanka Deka, Shanky Chaudhary, Ratan Boruah, Binoy K. Saikia. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials (ISSN 1387-1811), 253, 2017, 80-90.
• Humi-Fe3O4 nanocomposites from low-quality coal with amazing catalytic performance in reduction of nitrophenols. Tonkeswar Das, Gayatri Kalita, PriyamJyoti Bora, Dipak Prajapati, Gakul Baishya, Binoy K. Saikia. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering (ISSN: 2213-3437), 5(2), 1855–1865, 2017.

• Process for the preparation of blue-fluorescence emitting Carbon Dots (CDTs) from sub-bituminous Tertiary High Sulfur Indian Coals. United States Patent No. US 10,655,061 B2 (May 19 ,2020). Inventors: Binoy Kumar Saikia, Tonkeswar Das, Sonali Roy, Bardwi Narzary, Hari Prasana Deka Boruah, Manabjyoti Bordoloi, Junmoni Lahkar, Dipanker Neog, Danaboynia Ramaiah.
• Process for production of activated carbon from subbituminous Tertiary high sulfur Indian coals by ultrasonic-assisted chemical activation (Indian patent application No. 202011046539); Inventors: Binoy K Saikia, Tonkeswar Das, Prasenjit Saikia, Dipankar Neog, Mousumi Bora, Santhi Maria Benoy
• Process for the production of graphene from subbituminous coal (Application No. 202411032275, 2024); Inventors: Binoy K Saikia, Tonkeswar Das, Prasenjit Saikia, Ajit Singh, Ashutosh Thakur, Debashis Sarmah, Abhishek Hazarika.

• Paper entitled “ Synthesis of carbon nanoparticles and fullerene-like materials from carbonaceous aerosols: A study towards their utilization to make value-added products by Nazrul Islam, Tonkeswar Das, Binoy K Saikia have been poster presented at International Conference on Engineering Science & Technologies for Environmental Care 2020, organized by CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, 20-22 February, 2020.
• Paper entitled “Derivation of carbon materials from low-quality coal by using ball milling and chemical activation for using as electrode materials in supercapacitor by Tonkeswar Das, Mousumi Bora, Priyam J Bora, Jyoti P Saikia, Binoy K Saikia have been poster presented at XVIII Conference on Mineral Processing Technology, 2019, Organized by IIME-Hyderabad Chapter 16-18 December, 2019.
• Paper entitled “ Carbonization of low-grade Northeast Indian coal and waste plastics: studies on coke quality and oil yield” by Tonkeswar Das, Gitika Rani Saha, Binoy K Saikia have been oral presented at International Seminar on Mineral Processing Technology 2018 at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, October 10-12, 2018, organized by IIME.
• Paper entitled “Synthesis of humic acid nanocomposites for catalytic and electrochemical applications” by Tonkeswar Das, Binoy K Saikia have been oral presented at National Seminar on Recent Trends in Environment Responsive Chemical Processes (RTERCP-2017) at D.R. College, Golaghat, Assam, September 22-23, 2017, orgainezed by Department of Chemistry, D.R. College, Golaghat, Assam.
• Paper entitled “High-quality product from low quality Northeast Indian Coals” by Tonkeswar Das, Binoy K Saikia have been oral presented at International Seminar on Mineral Processing Technology, organized by IIME Tamil Nadu Chapter, during 1-3 February, 2017 at Radisson Blu Resort, Temple Bay, Mahabalipuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
• Paper entitled “Preparation of coal-derived carbon nanomaterials” by Tonkeswar Das, Binoy K Saikia have been presented at Materials Research Society of India Symposium on Advanced materials for sustainable applications, jointly organized by CSRI-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Tezpur University, and IIT Guwahati during 18-21 February, 2016 at CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat.
• Paper entitled “Thermo-chemical properties of low rank nodulized coal with organic binder” by Tonkeswar Das, B K Saikia, B. P. Baruah have been poster presented at 8th Mid-Year CRSI National Symposium in Chemistry, jointly organized by CSRI-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST) and Tezpur University, during 10-12 July 2014 at CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat.
• Paper entitled “Combustion characteristics of caustic leached high sulphur coals” by Tonkeswar Das, B K Saikia, P Saikia, B P Baruah have been oral presented at International Seminar and Workshop on Energy, Sustainability and Development (ISWESD-2012) organized by Department of Physics, Sibsagar College incollaboration with CSIR-NEIST on 12th to 14th Oct. 2012.

   

• Young Researchers Award 2020, Institute of Scholars (An ISO 9001:2015 certified Institute by International Accurate Certification, Accredited by UASL).
• Certificate of appreciation for technology development has been awarded in 59th CSIR-NEIST Foundation Day for the year of 2018-2019. Title of Technology: “A process for the preparation of Blue-fluorescence emitting carbon dots (CDs) from sub-bituminous tertiary high-sulfur Indian coals.”