CSMCRI to set up TFC RO membrane mfg plant

BHAVNAGAR: Safe and clean water would be much cheaper now as Bhavnagar's Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) is going to set up a plant in Bhavnagar.

The 2,000 sqm/day thin film composite (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane and spiral modules manufacturing plant will come up in Chitra Industrial Estate here in Bhavnagar.

New Delhi-based Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) sanctioned the project to CSMCRI, which is one of the constituent laboratories of CSIR.

According to Dr P K Ghosh, director, CSMCRI, "Rs 24 crore will be spent for the project. It will be first of its kind in the country.''

"The desalination plants that are installed in the country so far are based on imported RO membrane. But CSMCRI has developed a world-class technology for desalination of brackish and sea water for producing clean water with the help of thin film composite (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane manufacturing technology in the country. The membranes made from this facility will be utilized for CSIR-800 programme, societal mission activities and other government-funded projects for meeting the drinking water demand. The facility can showcase the indigenous membrane technology and will facilitate transfer of the technology to prospective entrepreneurs for large-scale production. Commercialization of the indigenously developed TFC RO membrane technology will have a great impact in meeting the demand of water in the country in future for both human consumption as well as for industry,'' Ghosh added.

He said that they expect utilization of the indigenously made membranes to reduce overall production cost and have high socio-economic relevance in terms of environmental safety, water treatment and reclamation and other industrial applications.

"The technology that we have developed will not only desalinate sea water but also all others impurities in the water making it safer and cleaner for drinking. Moreover, in a country, where the population is on a rise everyday and which depends on rain water, we need to have this kind of technology to solve our drinking water problems which are going to be serious in the coming years. Based on indigenous membrane technology, CSIR-CSMCRI has set up about 80 RO desalination plants in the country as well as overseas," Ghosh added.

According to A V R Reddy, principal scientist, (reverse osmosis membrane), CSMCRI, TFC membrane preparation is a complex process that requires sound understanding of the influence of different process variables on performance and a high degree of precision-based technology. There are only a few companies in the US and Japan which have so far been able to master this type of technology for desalination''.

Proposal for nuclear plant at Bhava nagar

Jan. 10.

Talks can be expedited now between the government’s Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) and Westinghouse Electric for the proposed 6,000-Mw atomic power station at Mithi Virdi in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district.

NPC chairman and managing director S K Jain said: “The US nuclear safety regulator has given its certification for the AP1000 reactors of Westinghouse. This paves the way for NPC to pursue techno-commercial talks.”

US companies Westinghouse and GE are supposed to supply equipment for Mithi Virdi. Westinghouse had suggested these reactors.

Jain said the certification was crucial, in the wake of the safety review and tests across nuclear power generators after the Fukushima accident in Japan last year. Balendra Sutharshan, director, India Business Development of Westinghouse, had told this correspondent last year that the AP1000 reactors made the most sense for India, for diverse reasons.

“We are the leading supplier of commercial nuclear technology worldwide and nearly half the world’s 441 nuclear plants are based on our technology. Our AP1000 technology is the most modern and advanced anywhere. It is also a lot simpler to construct, which reduces the construction time and cost, not to mention less maintenance after the plant is up and producing electricity,” he’d said.

The US nuclear regulator has said the AP1000 design contains many features not found in current reactors. "A variety of engineering and operational improvements provide additional safety margins and address the Commission’s severe accident, safety goal, and standardisation policy statements,” it has said. Also, the facility is designed for a 60-year life, which exceeds the projected 40-year combined operating licence period.