Preface to the special issue of the International Conference on Sustainable Development in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (SDCEE‐2024)

As the convener of the International Conference on Sustainable Development in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (SDCEE-2024), I am honored to extend our deepest gratitude to The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering for graciously agreeing to publish a special issue on "Sustainable Development in Chemical and Environmental Engineering." This collection comprises papers presented at SDCEE-2024, held from February 22–24, 2024, at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET) in Patiala, India. The conference emphasized the necessity of sustainable development across various chemical engineering domains, including materials, energy, environment, processing, and green technologies. The conference showcased keynote talks by esteemed experts including Prof. A. B. Pandit (Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India), Prof. Animesh Jha (University of Leeds, UK), Prof. Fulvia Chiampo (Politecnico di Torino, Italy), Prof. S. Bedi (University of Waterloo, Canada), Dr. Jhumma SadhuKhan (University of Surrey, UK), and Dr. Prhashanna Ammu (Mondelez International, USA). The conference organizers and guest editor thank all contributing authors and reviewers for their invaluable assistance in selecting the top contributions for this special issue section. We sincerely thank Prof. João Soares, Editor-in-Chief of The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, and his editorial staff for their invaluable support. We also extend our gratitude to TIET, SERB, BRNS, DRDO, INSA, CSIR, Saraswati Group (SAIPL), and Opus Media Pvt. Ltd. for their generous financial contributions towards the conference. The conference organizers circulated an early announcement about the special issue section on the conference website and in initial circulars. Papers were selected based on the quality of both presentations and submissions. This special issue section features 13 articles that represent the diverse themes of the conference. Nalawade and Gogate1 submitted work on the effect of reaction parameters on the production of levulinic acid from glucose. Gogate and colleagues2 optimized delignification and saccharification processes for sawdust. Yadav et al.3 studied the catalytic pyrolysis of pine needles, examining how zeolite structure affects bio-oil yield. Kaur et al.4 analyzed convection in a porous channel with Casson fluid, considering viscous dissipation, temperature-dependent thermal conductivity, and local thermal non-equilibrium. Kaur et al.5 also explored forced convection from confined circular/semi-circular heaters and coolers in different orientations. Jujaru et al.6 studied the production of biosurfactants from waste engine oil using bacteria. Devale and Mahajan7 reviewed transesterification reactions for ester production. Baudh et al.8 investigated the effect of ceria morphology on hydrogen production. Shirsat et al.9 studied the kinetics of cashew apple drying and the impact of drying conditions on bioactive compounds. Joshi et al.10 developed a machine learning-based correlation to predict the power number for closed clearance impellers. Alam et al.11 investigated how segmentation in composite phase change materials influences the performance of triplex-tube thermal energy storage systems. Sivasree and Nitin12 optimized the design of a coolant jacket for cryogen transfer in pipelines. Finally, Singla et al.13 investigated Casson hybrid nanofluid's mixed convective viscous dissipation with variable thermal conductivity around the rotating sphere. We hope this special issue of CJCE will offer valuable insights and inspire further research and innovation in sustainable chemical engineering. Avinash Chandra: Writing – original draft. The peer review history for this article is available at https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway/wos/peer-review/10.1002/cjce.25474. Data sharing not applicable.