Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

Ramavatar Meena

Pushpito Kumar Ghosh

Kamalesh Prasad

Arup Kumar Siddhanta

Jai Prakash Chaudhary

Amit A Bhattacharya

Mahesh Ramniklal Gandhi

Karuppanan Eswaran

Dibyendu Mondal

Bhavanath Jha

Kamlesh Prasad

Chennur Radhakrishna Reddy

Ravi Singh Baghel

Nitin Trivedi

Bharatkumar Kalidas Ramavat

Puja Kumari

Naresh Dharmashibhai Sanandiya

Nataraj Sanna Kotrappanavar

Vishal Gupta

Dharmesh Chejara

Gauravkumar Kishor Mehta

Meenakshi Sundaram Ganesan

Pradeep Kumar Agarwal

Avinash Mishra

The present invention relates to a superhydrophilic biodegradable cross linked foam membrane and a process for preparation of said foam membrane from a seaweed polysaccharides by blending with amino biopolymers/amino acids/proteins/amino compounds followed by crosslinking with a naturally occurring cross linker, genipin. The foam membrane can be used as a substitute for synthetic membrane for varied applications including membrane separation for oil-water emulsions, oil-water mixtures and other aqueous-organic mixtures under ambient conditions. These foam membranes can be recycled and reused more than three times without considerable decrease in flux rate and stability. The separation methodology of the mixtures using the foam membrane of the present invention is gravity-driven and therefore, simple and energy-efficient.

Seaweed polysaccharide based superhydrophilic foam membrane for energy-efficient oil-water separation

An integrated process for the recovery of a spectrum of commercially valuable products such as agar, cellulose, lipids, pigments and a liquid rich in minerals of agricultural importance directly from fresh seaweed without employing any catalyst driven in situ chemical conversions. Also solvents used during lipid extraction were shown to be used for three cycles without affecting the yield and quality of successive products. Furthermore, this new process is highly efficient and utilizes total seaweed raw material without any leftover biomass as solid waste.

Integrated process to recover a spectrum of bioproducts from fresh seaweeds

The present invention relates to biodegradable hydrophobic composite materials and a process for the preparation of said hydrophobic biodegradable materials from the seaweed polysaccharides through grafting reaction with vinylated monomers e.g. vinyl acetate. The said composites can be used as a substitute for synthetic ropes for varied applications including seaweed cultivation in the open sea. The results of cultivation experiments showed that ropes are suitable for cultivation of seaweeds in the sea environment, and exhibit higher biomass yield as compared to synthetic ropes. The prepared composites are very flexible and can be used for making handles for carry bags and for the preparation of biodegradable designs, bowls, pots, jars, gift items, stud caps and bracelets.

Biodegradable hydrophobic composite materials and process for the preparation thereof

The present invention relates to use of inexpensive semi-refined kappa carrageenan as a seaweed polysaccharide in preparation of tough, biodegradable films exhibiting improved performance over films obtained from refined kappa carrageenan. The formulation requires no gelling salt and the only other essential components of the film are glycerol and water, the former being used as plasticizer as reported in the prior art. The films can be recycled and reprocessed if required. The performance of the films can be further enhanced by incorporating polyvinyl alcohol that lends toughness and clarity as also natural rubber latex that imparts greater elasticity and barrier properties. Films of optimum composition can be pulse heat sealed immediately after casting and used for preparation of soft capsules and pouches. It is possible to store solvents and oils in the pouches. In view of the more eco-friendly processing of semi-refined kappa carrageenan compared to refined kappa carrageenan, films made with the former would also effectively be 'greener'.

Process of preparation of biodegradable films from semi refined kappa carrageenan

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Bhavnagar, India

Ramavatar Meena