Separations

SMBC is an implementation of continuous chromatographic separation, which involves solid stationary and fluid mobile phases. SMB is increasingly being used to convert pharmaceutical batch separations to continuous owing to the advantages of higher productivity and lower use of solvent. Use of  SMB for purification of herbal active ingredients has not been reported, since the precursor extract is derived from natural resources and hence represents a complex mixture with large number of components.

Although earth is covered with 70% of water, only 2% of it is available as fresh drinkable water. Access to this fresh water is scarce in many parts of the country. The groundwater contamination due to industrial pollution and geological minerals leads to many health issues, especially in childrens and women. Conversion of sea-water to fresh water is an expensive and energy-intensive process. The aim of this project is to find organic and inorganic porous materials for water purification.

Natural gas meets around 20-25% of world energy demands. Overall the world has around 200 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves and new reservoirs are being found. Methane gas constitutes around 80-90% of natural gas, and for economical utilization of methane as fuel, efficient separation technology is required. The aim of this project is to design new nanoporous materials for methane separation and storage from natural gas.