ISRO develops carbon foams, useful for thermal insulation and as electrodes

ISRO has developed a process for making carbon foams that has application in several industries—as thermal insulators, sandwich structures, electrodes in fuel cells, carbon dioxide scrubbing and EMI shielding. 

Carbon foams are next generation advanced structural materials, made up of cellular carbon. These foams possess low density, good specific strength and tuneable thermal properties making them suitable for applications in high temperature thermal protection, ablative materials, acoustic materials, EMI shielding and as electrode materials in batteries and bipolar plates in polymer membrane fuel cells.  

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Department of Space has developed a novel, simple and cost-effective method for the preparation of carbon foams from sucrose and carbon powder. The conventional preparation process is based on fossil fuel derived precursors. The novel method uses naturally available renewable precursors for the preparation of carbon foams. 

The process is environment-friendly and leaves no toxic by-products, has good mechanical strength and low thermal conductivity. 

Conventional system uses aqueous based process for the sucrose and carbon powder where 50% water in the resin medium requires more energy for evaporation. Also, agglomeration and sedimentation of particles in low viscous medium result in non uniform foam structure. Molten based technique of the proposed method overcomes these disadvantages of the aqueous system. 

ISRO develops superhydrophobic coatings

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at its Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has developed superhydrophobic—or water repellant—coatings.  These are prepared from a combination of polymers and nanoparticles. T 

hese coatings possess high water contact angle (around 160 °) with excellent water roll-off properties. The coatings can be applied by spraying over different substrates to form good water repellent coatings.  

Salient features • High water contact angle • Extreme water repellency • Excellent water roll-off properties • Sprayable (wide area application) • Economically viable application(s) It can find myriad applications in preventing moisture induced corrosion in metals, water repellent coatings in radomes and dishes, moisture barrier for polymers/ composite structures and to roll-off condensed water from metallic structures. 

NIIST develops technology to produce glazed tiles and bricks with fly ash

The National Institute of Inter-disciplinary Science and Technology has developed a process that uses fly ash from power plants to make red colored glazed tiles or bricks. NIIST says that this process conserves up to 80 per cent of natural clays and use fly ash instead.   

The cost calculations based on the pilot plant demonstration trials show that the price of the fly ash products will be in the similar range as clay products. The plant should be preferably in the premises of the thermal power plants and the process is suitable for pond ash and stored ash as also with dry fly ash. All machineries and the binders/additives are available in the country. 

The institute calculates that investments of around Rs 2.5 crore would be needed to set up a plant that can produce 60,000 bricks/tiles/glazed tiles. You can sell a brick at Rs 2 – 2.5 per piece, tiles Rs 4 – 5 per piece and glazed products Rs 6 – 8 per piece.  

Returns /Benefit: 15-18% returns on investment over a period of 5 years, NIIST says.  

For details, contact: 

CSIR – National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST)  

Government of India Industrial Estate PO, Thiruvananthapuram, India 

NIO develops marine bacteria to decolorize and detoxify dye

The National Institute of Oceanography has developed a marine bacterial strain, Shewanella decolorationis (MBTD16), which could be used to decolorize textile dyes—particularly Victoria Blue (VB-B) and Congo Red (CR). 

Dye removal index showed 96% decolorization activity, says NIO. Water reuse approaches indicated the usage of the dye VB-B and the amount of water could be reduced by ~50%. 

Bacterially treated samples could enhance the light intensity in the water by 38% and the primary production five times higher than the untreated. 

By using this technology, usage of water in industrial processes and pollution levels in the environment could be minimized. 

To produce this, you would need large scale fermenters to mass culture the bacteria. 

For details contact: 

The Director, CSIR - National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Dona Paula, Goa, INDIA - 403004 Tel: +91 832-2450200, Fax: +91 832-2450602, Email: director@nio.org 

NIIST has technology for producing coir from coconut husk and also extract energy

The National Institute for Inter-disciplinary Science and Technology has a technology for extraction of quality coir fiber from coconut husk, using enzymes.  

This method carries out separation of fibers from their matrices by enzymatic cleaving of cementing compounds with in situ microbial growth and enzyme production.  

A big advantage of this process is that the enzymes convert all the organic pollutants into methane, which can be collected easily. This bioprocess not only converts all the organic pollutants emanated from the extraction process to methane, but also facilitates its recovery as an Energy Source.  

Since the methane production is almost exclusively from the Up flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Method (UASB) methanogenic reactor and no significant quantity of methane is generated from the retting tanks, therefore the collection of methane is possible without expensive gas tight covering of the retting tanks. 

This bioprocess can also be used for processing of natural fibres like jute, banana and pineapple leaf. 

Investment required for a capacity of 16000 husk/dayis about Rs.1.4 crore; Production per day will be 1.5 tonnes of fiber a day and 800 cubic meters of methane. NIIST says that in a full year, you can produce 1.2 lakkh tonnes of fiber (from 15 lakh tonnes of husk) and 82,500,000 cubic meters of methane.  Contact: Mr. C.K. Chandrakanth, Principal Scientist, NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram, email: chandra@iist.res.in; Mobile: +91 9061082354

BARC develops Electron Beam Welding machine for deep penetration welds

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has developed an Electron Beam Welding machine that can produce deep penetration welds with very log mechanical distortion. This reduces the post-weld machining costs.  

BARC says that the EBW is also useful in welding thick sections in a single pass. It is useful for welding circular seams with 280 mm maximum outer diameter, and linear seams with 200 mm maximum length. It is good for welding refractory and high strength materials like Niobium, Zircalloy and maraging steel.  

The machine is particularly useful for welding of nuclear, aerospace components, automotive and micro electronics industries.  “EBW can be the last step in the manufacturing sequence,” says BARC. 

How it works is like this: The kinetic energy of the electrons changes into heat energy which melts and fuses the work piece metal. Welding is often done in a vacuum environment to prevent dispersion of the electron beam.  

The manufacture of EBW machine is a hi-tech process and calls for high level of skilled manpower. But if you can make it, there are good business prospects. 

For further details contact: 

Head 

Technology Transfer and Collaboration Division 

Bhabha Atomic Research Center 

Trombay, Mumbai  - 400 085 

Email: technology@barc.gov.in