Energy and Materials Challenges for a Growing World: One Perspective

The growing population in the emerging economies is poised for consumption
at a scale similar to the developed countries. The consumption will
increase because of both the growth in numbers and the increase in living
standards. In cognizance of the environmental constraints we need to be
more innovative to fulfil our material and energy needs with the least
footprint but a higher value than what we realized ever before. The
technologies that fuelled the growth of the developed world may not
provide a sustainable choice. The developing world would need to leapfrog
its way ahead and provide for its diverse needs. We need new energy
solutions for generation and distribution, alternative feedstock for the
plethora of chemicals that we need and smart materials to cater to our
infrastructure, automotive, and defence requirements. The challenge ahead
is to think new at a mega scale in a variety of sectors, accept and work
with the changing landscape and develop robust ways of sustaining the
breakthrough technology development and deployment. This presentation
shares one perspective on these aspects and identifies the key
opportunities and challenges of this growing world.

About Dr. Ajit Sapre:

Ajit Sapre got his B. Chem from ICT Mumbai, MBA from Cornell University
and PhD from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of
Delaware. He has more than 30 years of experience in the petroleum
refining and petrochemicals business, technology development and
management. He has published more than 100 technical papers, one book and
has more than 35 U.S. patents to his credit.