16-Aug-2010
An indigenous technology for extracting refractory grade Magnesia from sea water by the Central Salt and Marine Chemical Research Institute (CSMCRI) is in the process of being granted US patent which will definitely boost the production of high-grade refractory products for the steel sector.
An indigenous technology for extracting refractory grade Magnesia from sea water by the Central Salt and Marine Chemical Research Institute (CSMCRI) is in the process of being granted US patent which will definitely boost the production of high-grade refractory products for the steel sector.
"We have been granted notice of allowance for a US patent filed on technology for extracting high grade Magnesia of 99.3 per cent purity from concentrated sea water," institute's director Pusphito Ghosh said.
"Shortly, the US patent for this homegrown technology will also be granted," Ghosh said.
Refractories are lining materials which can not be dispensed with in order to continue any high temperature furnace or kiln operations. Such material is largely used in linings for furnaces, kilns, incinerators and reactors. High grade Magnesia is the core product used in lining of refractories at steel smelting plants. Besides, it finds application in cement, glass and copper smelting industry, industry sources said. The availability of high grade magnesia for industrial purposes is scarce and the commodity has to be imported at a high cost to meet the domestic demand.
"Relining of refractories at steel smelting plants will reduce due to our finding of high grade magnesia," Ghosh said.
"This radical change in extraction of such high purity magnesia from concentrated sea water will come as a major boost for making high grade refractory products for the steel industry," a steel ministry official said.
"The institute's process of preparation of magnesia from magnesium hydroxide was granted US patent this month. The high grade magnesia extracted through this indigenous process was of 97.3 per cent purity," Ghosh said.
CSMCRI, a laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is situated in Bhavnagar (Gujarat) has now proposed to set up a pilot manufacturing plant of around 0.4 tonnes capacity per day for this high grade Magnesia (99.3 per cent purity).
Source: PTI inputs