The Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) and Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) have been awarded a patent for developing an indigenous environment friendly technology to manufacture super speciality chemical Hydrazine Hydrate (H6N2O) used in agrochemicals, polymers, water treatment, fuel cells, and space applications.
At present, Hydrazine Hydrate is a 100% imported product and the Hyderabad based institute has played a major role in indigenising the manufacturing process of this “high value super speciality chemical product”.
GACL has set up ₹450 crore manufacturing plant to reduce import dependence and this is expected to go on stream soon, said senior scientist M. Chandrasekharam on Wednesday.
Addressing students and others at the NIN on the second day of ‘National Science Week’ celebrations to commemorate the 75th Independence Day Celebrations, the senior principal IICT scientist said that his institute has also developed a fermentation technology for production of Reverse Transcriptase (RT) enzyme used in diagnostics.
Another important role was making repurposed anti-viral drugs to combat COVID like Favipiravir to begin with, followed by Remdesivir and later Dexamethasone, in a very short span of time overcoming the pandemic obstacles of raw materials and human resources, he explained.
IICT has also bagged the ‘CSIR Technology Award’ last year for synthesis of a molecule used as an ‘adjuvant’ in making of the Bharat Biotech’s indigenously made Covaxin, explained Dr. Chandrasekharam, who also gave an overview of how the country’s scientific institutions rose to the occasion in the last two years in combating COVID.
