HIGHLAND, Indiana: Dr Hardarshan Singh Valia has the distinction to be the only coal scientist in the world who has been honored with all three prestigious awards bestowed by the American Steel Industry.
He is the first ever Indian and second ever Asian person to receive Iron & Steel Society’s Joseph Becker Award (for distinguished achievement in Coal Technology) for his work on Coal Usage in Steel Industry.
Dr Valia was awarded Joseph Kapitan Award (best paper) from the Association for Iron & Steel Technology on his work regarding unique properties of Indiana coals. He is also a recipient of the American Iron & Institute Medal.
“It is like a Hollywood actor winning all three, the Academy Award, Grammy Award and the Amy Award,” said Rajinder Singh Mago, a friend.
Dr Valia recently presented his book entitled “Indiana Coals and the Steel Industry” to Senator Dan Coats of Indiana. The book is collaborated with Dr M. Mastalerz, the State Coal Geologist of Indiana Geological Survey.
Utilizing certain unique properties of Indiana coals, Dr Valia, in collaboration with Allen Ellis and other scientists from Purdue University, earned a patent entitled “Multipurpose Coke Plant for Synthetic Fuel Production.”
Such a process would result in not only production of coke for the steel industry but can also produce diesel oil, methane gas, hydrogen, fertilizer, and power. This process would usher in a totally new industry to coal belt of southern Indiana where coal production is declining as it is mainly utilized to power industrial sector. It has implications for the nation since America has the largest global share of recoverable coal reserves that will last for more than 200 years.
“One needs to recover ‘value added’ products from coal rather than just burning it in the power plants,” said Dr Valia, “thereby reducing our dependence on foreign liquid fuels,” he added. Purdue research Foundation under the leadership of Dr Robert Kramer and Dr Valia, is leading such an effort.
Dr Valia’s emphasis on production of diesel fuels from coal was also presented in a series of his lectures in India, as India has large resources of coal but has shortage of oil.
Dr Valia has published 85 articles, contributed to 5 books (including Making, Shaping, and Treating of Steel), chaired 30 National/International conferences, taught 20 courses worldwide, authored two patents,
consulted to many industries around the world (especially extensively in China), and presently is a contributor to American Iron & Steel Institute’s website www.steel.org under How Steel is Made?
Dr Valia, after retiring as a Staff Scientist from Arcelor Mittal (formerly Inland Steel Company), started his own consulting firm Coal Science Inc. and also jointly owns Coal Science Laboratory in Gary, Indiana.
Dr Valia received his Masters in Applied Geology from Nagpur University and Masters in Geology from Bryn Mawr College and Ph.D.in Geology from Boston University. His hobbies include writing poetry and short stories. He is among the few Indians here who have not given up their Indian citizenship and that makes all Indians proud, said Mago.
Surendra Ullal
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