Banu Marimuthu

Banu Marimuthu

Catalysis Division

About Me

Dr. Banu is a Senior Scientist in the Catalysis & Inorganic Chemistry division at CSIR-NCL, Pune. After earning her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Bharathidasan University MoU with National Center for Catalysis Research, IIT-Madras in 2011—where she focused on heterogeneous catalyst systems and DFT computations for energy chemical synthesis—she completed two postdoctoral fellowships in South Korea, first at POSTECH (2013) and then at UNIST (2015). Her current research primarily involves the heterogeneous catalytic conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals, alongside CO2​ capture and utilization to create valuable chemicals.


Professional Experience

Postdoctoral Research Fellow         

 POSTECH (2012-2013): Investigated advanced catalytic CO2 hydrogenation to formic acid over heterogeneous palladium-based materials.

 UNIST (2014-2015): Optimized processes for the isopropylation of naphthalene over conventional and Zn/Fe modified USY zeolites.


Selected Publications

  • Sreejith Sreekantan, Anusree Elavanaparambil Anilan And Banu Marimuthu*, Catalytic strategies for saccharides-to-lactic acid production: Process pathways, economic viability, and environmental sustainability – A comprehensive review, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering., 14, 123533 (2026), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2026.123533.
  • Amitha Kalappurakkal Sudhakaran, Sreejith Sreekantan And Banu Marimuthu*, Reimagining CO2 Management: SWOT Analysis and Global Outlook on CCUS and ICCU Technologies, Sustainable Chemistry for Climate Action., 7, 100139 (2025), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scca.2025.100139.
  • Sreejith Sreekantan, Amitha Kalappurakkal Sudhakaran And Banu Marimuthu, Upcycling solid wastes: Using abundant egg shell wastes for the greener production of lactic acid under ambient conditions, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering., 13, 115603 (2025), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.115603.
  • Arun Arunima Balachandran Kirali, Hariprasad Narayanan, Balasubramanian Viswanathan*, Parmeshwar Yadav And Banu Marimuthu*, Enhanced Catalytic Conversion of Disaccharides to Propylene Glycol Using Metal-Supported Graphitic Carbon Nitride, ACS Energy & Fuels., 38, 7005 - 7017 (2024), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.3c05087.
  • Sreejith Sreekantan, Chandrodai Pratap Singh, Sailaja Krishnamurty* And Banu Marimuthu*, Investigation of the Effect of Zeolite Supports and the Role of W-Species for One-Pot Catalytic Conversion of Cellulose to EthyleneGlycol: Theoretical & Experimental Studies, Chemistry - An Asian Journal., 18, e202201202 (2023), DOI:doi.org/10.1002/asia.202201202.
  • Sreejith Sreekantan, Arun Arunima Balachandran Kirali And Banu Marimuthu, Catalytic conversion of sucrose to 1,2-propanediol over alumina-supported Ni–Mo bimetallic catalysts, Sustainable Energy & Fuels., 6, 3681 - 3689 (2022), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SE00610C.
  • Sreejith Sreekantan , Arun Arunima Kirali And Banu Marimuthu, Enhanced one-pot selective conversion of cellulose to ethylene glycol over NaZSM-5 supported metal catalysts, New Journal of Chemistry., 45, 19244 - 19254 (2021), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/D1NJ03257G.
  • Arun Arunima Kirali, Sreejith Sreekantan And Banu Marimuthu, Fabrication of mesoporous carbon supported Ni–Mo catalysts for the enhanced conversion of glucose to ethylene glycol, New Journal of Chemistry., 44, 15958 - 15965 (2020), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NJ03196H.

Research Interest

  • Green & Sustainable Chemistry

Contact Details

Dr Banu Marimuthu

Senior Scientist, 

Catalysis & Inorganic Chemistry Division

Room no: 227, Main Building

CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune-411008

Email: m.banu.ncl@csir.res.in