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15 OCTOBER 2007 301 R&D Highlights 15 OCTOBER 2007 301 R&D Highlights The Government of Orissa designed by IMMT. The filters are Hon’ble Chief Minister of Orissa recently gave a boost to IMMT’s being assembled and tested at Shri Naveen Patnaik inaugurated impending desire for extensive IMMT for distribution to the launching of Terafil™ water filter propagation of the Terafil™ Anganwadis, schools, PHCs and on 10 August 2007 at Bhubaneswar. mechanism in the state to solve the Gram Panchayat offices, etc. through The Director, scientists and some drinking water problem in the rural the state government departments staff members of IMMT and CIPET, areas. The state government has concerned with Women and Child Hon’ble Minister of Law, Industry funded a mega project to develop Development, Health, Education, & Rural Development Shri B.B. over 75,000 sets of Terafil™ water etc. A few designated self help Harichandan, Hon’ble Minister of filters of 30 litre capacity using food groups of the government will also Woman & Child Development Mrs grade plastic containers. IMMT is be trained on the manufacturing Pramila Mallik, and several senior collaborating with the Central techniques by IMMT and will be state government secretaries Institute of Plastic Engineering and given license for large scale including Addl. Chief Secretary to Technology (CIPET), Bhubaneswar, production of Terafil™ discs in the government Shri R.N. Bohidar to manufacture the containers different corners of Orissa shortly. were present on the occasion. Clockwise from left : Hon’ble Chief Minister of Orissa, Shri Naveen Patnaik launching the new Terafil™ water filter at Bhubaneswar; Shri B.K. Mishra, Director IMMT and Project Leader, Shri S. Khuntia discussing the performance of Terafil™ water filter with Hon’ble Chief Minister; Terafil™ water filters being tested at IMMT before packaging; and Terafil™ water filters ready for dispatch 302 CSIR NEWS R&D Highlights CLRI’s Biodiesel Technology Transfer to M/s Vel Biodiesel Energy Pvt. Ltd HE Central Leather Research Institute T (CLRI), Chennai, under the leadership of Dr T. Ramasami, former Director, CLRI and presently Secretary, Department of Science and Technology and Director General, CSIR, had signed an agreement with M/s Vel Biodiesel Energy Pvt. Ltd for the transfer of biodiesel technology on 28 November 2005. The demonstration of the biodiesel process was inaugurated by Dr S. Rajamani (former Director, CLRI) and Dr A.B. Mandal, Director Grade Scientist, on 28 June 2006. Now, on 7 September 2007, Shri S.V. Balraj, Managing Director, M/s Vel Biodiesel Energy Pvt. Ltd, has paid 2nd and 3rd installments of Rs 89.888 Shri S.V. Balraj, Managing Director, M/s Vel Biodiesel Energy Pvt. Ltd, lakh to Dr A.B. Mandal, Director, CLRI, for the handing over the cheque to Dr A.B. Mandal, Director, CLRI biodiesel technology, in the presence of Shri S.P. Velayutham, Chairman, M/s Vel Biodiesel Energy Pvt. Ltd and the area leaders of CLRI. The Director CLRI and all area leaders of CLRI congratulated the biodiesel process innovator Shri K.C. Velappan, Scientist, for the great achievement — technology transfer leading to External Cash Flow of rupees one crore. NEERI-DVC Agreement for developing Pollution Abatement Strategies for Damodar River System large number of industries have A come up in the Bokaro-Dhanbad region of Jharkhand and Asansol-Durgapur region of West Bengal in the Damodar river watershed since 1960s. The river system alongwith four major dams receives grossly polluted wastewater from the industries and towns located in the watershed. Subsequent to a study carried out by several organizations including National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, in 1994, Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) desired NEERI to evolve pollution abatement strategies under the present circumstances through detailed water and wastewater analysis as well as Shri Ashutosh Chakravarty, Additional Secretary, DVC (extreme left) and appropriate wastewater treatment and catchment Dr Apurba Gupta, Dy. Director, NEERI, signing the NEERI-DVC agreement. management practices. Seen in the centre is Shri S. Barari, CEO, EM&PC, DVC 15 OCTOBER 2007 303 R&D Highlights In a joint meeting NEERI undertakes EIA study for between DVC and NEERI, held in the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project, Stage II, recent past, Shri Asim K. Barman, Chairman, Priority Works DVC, asked NEERI to prepare a detailed action HE Municipal Corporation of comprehensive Environmental Impact plan indicating short and TBrihan Mumbai (MCBM) has Analysis (EIA) for these installations and long term measures for undertaken Mumbai Sewage Disposal recommend appropriate Environmental protecting the river and Project, Stage II, Priority Works, for Management Plan (EMP). reservoirs in the improvement of environment in and The impact assessment will include Damodar River System around the Mumbai city. The priority detailed water quality assessment in the while developing works for implementation include coastal areas around Mumbai including Comprehensive Water sewage and treated effluent pumping the western coast and Thane creek. The Use Policy for the basin. stations at Versova and Malad along with study is also expected to recommend DVC agreed to pay Rs the respective pumping mains, possible measures for further 1.2 crore for this modifications of treatment plants at improvement of water quality in addition consultancy service to Versova, Malad, Colaba, Worli, to the proposed wastewater treatment NEERI. This Bhandup, Ghatkopar and Dharavi as facilities for generating higher consultancy project is well as the ocean outfall system at assimilative capacity of the heavily expected to be Erangal. Most of the completed within installations are sixteen months. NEERI located in the Coastal will utilize the services Regulatory Zone of field laboratories at (CRZ) and expected to Durgapur, Dhanbad and create environment Bokaro with the impact during assistance of West construction and Bengal and Jharkhand operational phases to Pollution Control Boards the coastal in addition to the environment including facilities available at mangroves. MCBM NEERI headquarters in has assigned to Nagpur and its Zonal NEERI to carry out a Laboratory in Kolkata. Er. A.K. Biswas and Er. P.S. Kelkar of NEERI will lead the field survey pertaining to the project. The overall project will be led by Dr A. Gupta and assisted by Dr R.A. Sohony. Dr S. Devotta, Director, NEERI, will coordinate the project. The coastal survey team studying the ocean sampling sites (top), and Physico-chemical analysis (above left) and Biological analysis in progress (above right) 304 CSIR NEWS R&D Highlights polluted creeks. NEIST: New Projects undertaken and MCBM has agreed to pay Rs 1.26 crore Patents Filed/Granted for this consultancy service. THE North - East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST), Jorhat, has undertaken the following grants-in-aid project: NEERI will carry out extensive • Survey, isolation, identification and preliminary characterization of microflora monitoring of (bacteria) from the Southern Corridor of Brahmaputra, undertaken on behalf of coastal and creek Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, New Delhi. (Total waters, quantify estimated cost Rs 7.07 lakh, Period- 3 yrs. PI - Dr B. G. Unni ) and characterize Patents treated and untreated Filed in India wastewater • An improved process for the production of substituted amino-benzophenones, discharges, monitor Dipak Prajapati and Dhiren Barman air, noise, land use, • A novel herbal antifungal formulation against dermal infection, Mantu Bhuyan, soil, groundwater, J.J. Mahanta, M. Chutia, P.R. Bhattacharryya, P.B. Kanjilal, P.K. Baruah, N.C. biological and socio- Baruah and P.G. Rao economic status • A versatile method for the oxidation of carbinols to carbonyls using hydrogen around the peroxide under triphase catalytic condition, Amrit Goswami, Mrs N. Bhati and installations. State Kuldip Sarmah of art water quality Granted in US and hydrodynamic 2-Methyl-eptylisonicotinate and process for production thereof, Gajendra Nath models will be used • Bordoloi, Babita Kumari, Manabjyoti Bordoloi, M.K. Roy and Tarun Chandra for predicting and Bora. Patent No.: US 6998411 B2 evolving possible solutions for improvement of the NEIST Process for environmental conditions. Dr Smt. Bacterial Bioformulation Released S.S. Dhage, Er. P.S. HE North - East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST), Jorhat, has devel Kelkar and Dr T.K. Toped a novel bacteria based bioformulation suitable for biomass improvement and Ghosh will lead the yield enhancement in commercial crops. The formulation consists of two bacterial various monitoring strains isolated from two different soil inhabiting bacterial strains which have the ability programmes. Dr A. to improve the plant growth in addition to having the property of disease control and Gupta, assisted by seed inoculation. The strains also have the ability to produce siderophore, an iron- Er. Ritesh Vijay, will lead the overall chelating compound, and antibiotics like phenazine in culture medium. The formulation activities including also contains various enzymes which trigger the enhancement of soil fertility and plant modelling. Dr S. growth. The formulation is liquid based and useful in all major crops of NE region Devotta, Director, such as tea, rice and vegetables. Since the price of the technology has presently been NEERI, will maintained at a very affordable level of Rs 20,000, excluding the factory installation coordinate the charges, it can
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