Adinath Lahiri | |
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| Born | (1916-08-24)24 August 1916 Pabna, British India |
| Died | 26 August 1975(1975-08-26) (aged 59) |
| Occupation(s) | Geochemist Fuel technologist |
| Years active | 1942–1975 |
| Known for | Institution builder Researches on Coal |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Padma Shri Imperial College Judd Memorial Prize |
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Adinath Lahiri (1916–1975) was an Indiangeochemist and fuel technologist, known for his efforts in developing theCentral Fuel Research Institute,Dhanbad (CFRI) into one of the premier research institutions in India.[1] He was the director of theNational Coal Development Corporation (NCDC) and contributed towards the establishment of theCentral Mining Research Station, which was later merged with CFRI to form the present dayCentral Institute of Mining and Fuel Research).[2] TheGovernment of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour, thePadma Shri, in 1960, and followed it up with the third highest civilian honour, thePadma Bhushan, in 1969, for his contributions to science and technology.[3]
Adinath Lahiri was born on 24 August 1916.[4] After completing his master's degree in geology and geochemistry from theUniversity of Calcutta, he obtainedSir Palit Foreign Fellowship of the university and did his doctoral studies at theImperial College of theUniversity of London to secure a PhD, winning the Judd Memorial Prize for the best thesis in geochemistry.[5] He started his career as a research associate at the Department of Chemical Technology at Imperial College in 1942, but joined theRoyal Air Force duringWorld War II to serve as a Scientific Officer and, later, as the Head of the Fuel and Oil Research Section at theRoyal Aircraft Establishment,Farnborough airfield. After the war was over, he returned to India, in 1945, to take up the position as the Assistant Director (Planning) at theCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) when he contributed to the planning and establishment of the Central Fuel Research Institute (CFRI), Dhanbad.[1] He joined the institute after its inception as the Deputy Director and when the founder director, J. W. Whitteker left, he took over as the director in 1953 to stay with the institute till his superannuation in 1974.[6] In between, he also underwent training under a Summer Fellowship at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science in 1950.[5] After his retirement from CFRI, he joined theUnited Nations as an advisor and served in Chile when he died on 26 August 1975, two days after his 60th birthday, succumbing to a cardiac arrest.[5]
Lahiri's research interests covered the fields ofpetrography, oxidation mechanisms, solvent extraction, surface chemistry of coal, catalysts andadsorbents and he was credited with several innovations in fuel technology, which earned him over 90 patents.[1] His contributions have been reported in the development ofbeehive coke oven, process technologies for the isolation and recovery of useful chemicals from the byproducts of coal, process technologies for the production of resins and other compounds, andactive carbon andion exchangers for determination of water-based coal. He published his research and professional experiences by way of over 500 articles,[5]Reaction of coals under plasma conditions: direct production of acetylene from coal,[7]National Coal Development Corporation A New Approach,[8] andTrekking on the Southern Bhutan Frontier counting among them.[9] During his tenure with CFRI, he proposed the setting up ofCentral Mining Research Station for overcoming the coal mining issues faced in India and served as the director of the National Coal Development Corporation.[1] In 1954, he proposed energy studies, a pioneering effort in India, and served the Indian Energy Survey Committee of 1965 and the National Fuel Policy Committee of 1974, as a member.[5]
Lahiri was an elected Fellow of theInstitution of Engineers, Institute of Fuels (London) and theIndian National Science Academy (INSA), and served as a member of the INSA council from 1968 to 1970.[1] In 1960, theGovernment of India awarded him thePadma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour.[10] Nine years later, in 1969, he was included in theRepublic Day Honours list again, this time for India's third-highest civilian honour, thePadma Bhushan.[3]Central Fuel Research Institute, the institute he helped found, have since renamed their conferencing facility asAdinath Lahiri Hall, in his honour.[11]
