CSIR-AMPRI, Bhopal, organised lectures under “Expert Lecture Series” (ELS) from Eminent/Distinguished personalities in the field of Science & Technology at CSIR-AMPRI. Under this series, Dr RK Jain (Former Director CPPRI & KNHPI), Technical expert UNIDO, New Delhi, was the guest and delivered a lecture on 21 July 2025.

Dr Mohd Akram Khan, Chief Scientist, CSIR-AMPRI, Bhopal, briefed on the purpose of organising the expert lecture series. He highlighted that the purpose of this series is to connect with eminent persons in the field of Science & Technology and potential collaboration to contribute to society/industry in the area of CSIR-AMPRI expertise.

Dr Thallada Bhaskar, Director, CSIR-AMPRI, in opening remarks, highlighted that essential raw materials/minerals for major applications are being imported. Emphasis should be given to transform available raw materials/minerals in the country into/utilised products to cater for the requirements of the country. 

A video film based on CSIR-AMPRI’s facilities and expertise was screened, and Dr Chetna Dhand, Principal Scientist, CSIR-AMPRI, provided a brief introduction of the Guest. 

Dr RK Jain delivered a lecture on “Innovative circular economy approach towards converting lignocellulosic biomass for sustainable packaging materials and a source of bioenergy”. He shared his views on sustainability. He talked about minimising environmental impacts using renewable resources without creating a burden on the environment. He emphasised the use of available biobased resources for the preparation of biodegradable plastic. He mentioned that paper is one of the potential alternatives to single-use plastic. He explained work on the take, make and dispose concept for supporting the circular economy.  Through his lecture, he elaborated on the concept of bio-refinery, lignocellulosic biomass, sustainable packaging materials, bio-fuels, and flexible packaging from food-grade polymers.

Dr Jain also visited various laboratories/facilities, viz. Electrochemical Additive Manufacturing Lab, Raman Spectroscopy Facility, High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy Facility, Biosensor Lab, Bamboo Composite Structure ‘Baithak’, Centre for Advanced Radiation Shielding & Geo-polymeric Materials and seen various products developed by CSIR-AMPRI viz. hydrogen cylinder, 3D Printed Metallic Arts, Shape Memory-based Fire Alarm, Aluminium Foam & Metal Matrix Composite (MMC),  X-Ray Radiation Shielding Tiles, Biosensors, Antimicrobial Coatings,  Bio-Inspired Materials for Biomedical Applications, Bamboo Composite, Green Building Materials, Geopolymeric Construction Materials, Water Filter, AI-based Water Quality Assessment. 

Dr Sandeep Singhai, Senior Principal Scientist, moderated the programme and proposed a vote of thanks.