Writing style in academic English
Your supervisor's first objection is against empty "connecting words", as you call them. Since they are empty, you may as well drop them:


  To effectively curtail pollution from all sources requires attention paid to the long-overlooked industrial pollution. [To this end T]his PhD research emphasises the need to...


Your argument, rather than some connecting words, should build the connection:


  To effectively curtail pollution from all sources requires attention paid to the long-overlooked industrial pollution. This PhD research emphasises the important role of industrial pollution in most immissions today [or whatever your argument is]. 


The second objection is not against starting sentences with an infinitive, but against splitting infinitives. I don't know whether split infinitives are really bad style or just a matter of taste. Since some of your readers believe the former, I would err on the side of caution. From Wikipedia:


  The opening sequence of the Star Trek television series contains a well-known example, where William Shatner says "to boldly go where no man has gone before"; the adverb boldly is said to split the infinitive to go. 
  [...]
  The construction is to some extent still the subject of disagreement, but modern English usage guides have dropped the objection to it.


Here are my additional two cents: Avoid the passive voice. Who does the "requiring" in your first sentence? Who must pay attention?


  To curtail pollution from all sources, researchers and policy makers must pay more attention to the long-overlooked industrial pollution. This PhD research emphasises the important role of industrial pollution in most immissions today.