Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) signs MoU with Tezpur University

TEZPUR: Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tezpur University for promotion of compressed biogas in Northeast India. The MoU was signed by Dr Biren Das, Registrar on behalf of Tezpur University and Bijay Kumar on behalf of IOCL at a function held at the Council Hall of the University in the presence of several members of the University and delegates of an on-going event jointly organized by DST-TEC and IPR Cell of the University.

Prof Debendra Chandra Baruah, Professor, Department of Energy and Director of Centre for Multidisciplinary Research presented a brief overview of the MoU at the event.

Prof Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya, acting Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University and Bijay Kumar, General Manager (Alternate Energy Division), IOCL expressed their happiness over the signing of memorandum of understanding, which will strengthen industry-academia collaboration concerning a key area of present-day concern. The Vice Chancellor expressed his confidence on the collaboration stating that useful outcomes of this MoU concerning this biofuel will lead to extension of such collaborations in several other areas in the near future.

Sunil Rajagopal, Nodal Officer – North East & Senior Manager (Alternate Energy & Sustainable Development) and S Basu of IOCL were also present during the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Baruah said Tezpur University has been engaged in promoting biogas through target-oriented research and several locally available biomasses have been identified as promising feedstock for generation of fuel (biogas) and organic fertilizer with assured recycling of crop nutrients. Such ongoing research and development (R&D) on biogas will boost up further to benefit the region through signing of the MoU with Indian Oil Corporation Limited.

Referring to an e-conclave on issues of industrial scale biogas in Northeast India organized in August 2021 as a silver jubilee event of the Department of Energy, Tezpur University which was also addressed by Chief Minister of Assam, Prof Baruah stated that Industry-Academia collaboration was recommended by the conclave and the TU-IOCL MoU is a right step in this direction.