Research Interest

• Synthesis of zeolites and novel materials for catalysis
• Tailor-making of catalyst properties
• Catalyst development for light alkane isomerization, aromatization, continuous catalytic reforming  and etherification
• Naphtha reforming, Naphtha to gas and gasoline.
• Alkylation of olefin containing hydrocarbon feedstocks
• Catalyst development for fuel and petrochemical production from conventional and non-conventional naphtha
• Utilization of waste bio oil, ethanol for valuable products
• Date seeds biomass utilization for fuel and catalyst preparation 
• Catalyst Development for utilization of waste plastic into fuel  
• Conversion of Gas to valuable liquid products

Work Experience

Awards and Honours

• Best Paper Award (Ist Prize), National Symposium on Biofuel & Non-conventional Energy Sources : Indian scenario
  Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, 2016
• Best Paper Award, 8th International Symposium on Fuels and Lubricants, 2012
• Hindustan Platinum Award (Ist prize), Catalysis Society of India, 2010
• Young Scientist Award in Material Science and Nano-technology
  Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology, 2009
• Reviewer, Elsevier Journals, RSC Journal, Sultan Qaboos Petroleum & Engineering Journal
• Editorial board member of international journal of oil, gas and coal technology

Patents

• A novel single step catalytic process for the simultaneous production of aromatics, naphthenics and isoparaffins for gasoline and petrochemical applications

          US Patent  11318452 (Date of grant 03 May 2022)

• A novel single step catalytic process for the simultaneous production of aromatics, naphthenics and isoparaffins for gasoline and petrochemical applications

          Indian Patent application Number 201911029825A (Dt 29 Jan 2021)

• A single step catalytic process for the conversion of naphtha to diesel range hydrocarbons

          Indian Patent 357285 (Date of grant 29 Jan. 2021)

• A single-step catalytic process for conversion of naphtha to diesel range hydrocarbons

          South Korean Patent, 10-2153764 (Date of grant 02 Sept. 2020)

• BEA zeolite catalyst useful for isomerization of naphtha and a process for preparation thereof

          Indian Pat. Appl.  (340415) (Date of grant 03 July 2020) 

• A single -step catalytic process for conversion of naphtha to diesel range hydrocarbons

          Russian Patent No. 2648239 (Date of grant 23 March 2018)

• A single -step catalytic process for conversion of naphtha to diesel range hydrocarbons

          Australia Patent 2013342997B2 (Date of grant 08 October 2017)

• A single-step catalytic process for conversion of naphtha to diesel range hydrocarbons,

          US Patent  9,598,649 (Date of grant 21 March 2017)

• Catalyst and process for the conversion of bio-ethanol in to gasoline

          US Patent 9267081 (Date of grant 23 February 2016)

• A single-step catalytic process for conversion of naphtha to diesel range hydrocarbons

          South Africa, Patent No. 2015/03452 (Date of grant 27 January 2016)

• A process for the preparation of a novel zeolite catalyst useful for the hydro-isomerization of light alkanes

          Indian Patent 246902 (Date of grant 21 Feb. 2011)

Selected Publications

• A single-step catalytic process for the production of high-octane molecules from normal paraffins using zeolite supported bi-functional catalysts

          Nagabhatla Viswanadham, Sandeep K. Saxena, Rajeev Panwar, Anjan Ray

          Chemical Engineering and Processing-Process Intensification, 177 (2022) article no.108990

• Sustainable upgrade of bioderived glycerol to solketal through acetalization over metal-free mordenite catalysts

          Bhavna Saini, Anup Prakash Tathod, Sandeep K. Saxena, Selvamani A., N. Viswanadham

          ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 10 (2022) 1172-1181

• Single pot template-free synthesis of a glycerol-derived C–Si–Zr mesoporous composite catalyst for fuel additive production

          Saurabh Kumar, Nagabhatla Viswanadham, Sandeep K. Saxena, Arumugam Selvamani, Jitendra Diwakar, Ala’a H. Al-Muhtaseb

          New Journal of  Chemistry , 44 (2020) 8254-8263

• Liquid-phase solvent-less reactions for value addition of glycerol and phenols over nano porous aluminosilicates

          Jitendra Diwakar, Nagabhatla Viswanadham, Sandeep K. Saxena, Saurabh Kumar, Ala’a H.Al Muhtaseb

          Materials Today Communications, 15 (2018) 260-268

• Valorization of waste “date seeds” bio-glycerol for synthesizing oxidative green fuel additive

          Farrukh Jamil, Sandeep K.Saxena, Ala’a H.Al- Muhtaseb, Mahad Baawain, Mohammed Al-Abri, NagabhatlaViswanadham,           

         Journal of Cleaner Production, 165 (2017), 1090-1096

• Effect of zeolite pore morphology on solvent-less alkylation of benzene with 1-hexene

          Sandeep K. Saxena, N. Viswanadham, Ala’a H. Al-Muhtaseb Material Today Chemistry 4 (2017) 45-52

• Cu-functionalized nano crystalline ZSM-5 as efficient catalyst for selective oxidation of toluene Viswanadham, Sandeep K. Saxena, Ala’a H. Al-Muhtaseb

          Material Today Chemistry 3 (2017) 37-48

• Enhanced catalytic properties of mesoporous mordenite for benzylation of benzene with benzyl alcohol

           Sandeep K. Saxena, Nagabhatla Viswanadham

           Applied Surface Science 392 (2017) 384-390

• Hierarchically nano porous nano crystalline ZSM-5 for improved alkylation of benzene with bio-ethanol

          Sandeep K. Saxena, Nagabhatla Viswanadham

           Applied Material Today 5 (2016) 25-32

• Enhanced production of high octane oxygenates from glycerol etherification using the desilicated BEA zeolite

          Sandeep K. Saxena, Ala’a H. Al-Muhtaseb, Nagabhatla Viswanadham

           Fuel 159 (2015) 837-844

• Porosity and acidity patterns of steam treated BEA zeolite material for enhanced catalytic isomerization of naphtha

          Sandeep K. Saxena, Nagabhatla Viswanadham, M.O. Garg

          Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 20 (2014) 3875-3883

• Facile synthesis of mesoporous aluminosilicate nano particles for selective production of N-Benzylidenaniline in solvent-free reaction of aniline with benzyl alcohol

          Peta Sreenivasulu, Nagabhatla Viswanadham, Sandeep K. Saxena

         Journal of Material Chemistry: A 2 : 20 (2014) 7354-7359

• Enhanced production of high octane gasoline blending stock from methanol with improved catalyst life on nano-crystalline ZSM-5 catalyst

          Sandeep K. Saxena, Nagabhatla Viswanadham, Ala’a H. Al-Muhtaseb

          Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 20 (2014) 2876-2882

• Break – through mesopore creation in BEA and its enhanced catalytic performance in solvent-free liquid phase tert-butylation of phenol

          Sandeep K. Saxena, Nagabhatla Viswanadham, Trymbkesh Sharma

          Journal of Material Chemistry: A 2 : 8 (2014) 2487-2490

• Synthesis of hierarchical ZSM -5 using glucose as templating precursor

          Devaki Nandan, Sandeep K. Saxena, Nagabhatla Viswanadham

          Journal of Material Chemistry: A 2 : 4 (2014)1054 -1059

• Cracking and isomerization functionalities of bi-metallic zeolites for naphtha value upgradation

          Sandeep K. Saxena, Nagabhatla Viswanadham, M.O.Garg

           Fuel 107 (2013) 432-438

• Enhanced performance of nano-crystalline ZSM-5 in acetone to gasoline (ATG) reaction

           Nagabhatla Viswanadham, Sandeep K Saxena

           Fuel 105 (2013) 490-495

• Etherification of glycerol for improved production of oxygenates

          Nagabhatla Viswanadham, Sandeep K. Saxena

          Fuel 103 (2013) 980-986

• Catalytic performance of nano crystalline H-ZSM-5 in ethanol to gasoline (ETG) reaction.

          Nagabhatla Viswanadham, Sandeep K. Saxena, Jitendra Kumar, Peta Sreenivasulu, Devaki Nandan

          Fuel 95 (2012) 298-304

• Effect of acid treatments on physico-chemical properties and isomerization activity of mordenite.

          Sandeep K. Saxena, Raviraj Kamble, Madhulika Singh, M.O. Garg, N. Viswanadham

          Catalysis Today 141(2009) 215-219