After completing his PhD in Physical Chemistry from Bangalore Univeristy and a postdoctoral position at the Chemical Engg., department, Tokyo University, Dr. Halgeri joined the corporate sectore, where he was involved in the development and commercialization of Zeolite based catalyst for Xylene Isomerisation process in 1985, the first petrochemical catalyst developed in India. He was also associated in the development and manufacture of several petrochemical catalysts from concept to commercialization. He has provided leadership for the development of reforming catalysts for Gasoline & BTX production, paraffin-dehydrogenation catalysts for Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) production (Raw material for soap manufacture), catalysts for purification of Hydrocarbons in PET plant, development of hydrogenation/dehydrogenation catalysts for petrochemical industry. All the above indigenously developed catalysts helped to put India in the world map of petrochemicals.
He has extensively worked on Alkylation of Aromatics using modified Zeolites as Eco-friendly catalysts. He has developed Zeolite based catalyst for Alkylation of Toluene to produce selectively para-Xylene which is raw material for polyester industry and transferred for the first time to advanced country to M/s. GTC Technology Inc. USA. Subsequently, super selective pore size engineered modified Zeolite catalyst has been successfully developed and commercialized for the manufacture of speciality chemical para-diethyl benzene (PDEB) of 10,000 MTS capacity plant at Reliance Petrochemicals Industry at Surat, Gujarat.