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OUR DEPARTMENT:
Department of Chemical Technology offers a three years post-graduate B. Tech. Degree in Chemical Technology with specialization in:
- Ceramic Engineering
- Petrochemical & Petroleum Refinery Engineering
- Oil Technology
- Pharmaceuticals &Fine Chemicals Technology
The department has at present an intake of 40 ( 10 X 4) students at the B. Tech. Level. 2years (four semesters) M. Tech. Courses in the four areas of specializations have been introduced in place of the previous one and half year M. Tech. Programmes since 2000.. It is heartening to note that the department provides ample facilities for research in different disciplines and the tradition of research activity remains unabated. With the generous assistance through Technical Education Quality Improvement Program (TEQIP) there has been a sort of quantum jump in terms of some sophisticated instruments common to all technical departments in the campus and in terms of up gradation of facilities in the departmental laboratories. In 2006 we have introduced semester system in B. Tech course also (6 semesters in 3 years) with concurrent adoption of grade system for student evaluation. The curricula and syllabi have also been upgraded and modernized.
CERAMIC ENGINEERING:
The Ceramic Engineering section of the department happens to be the oldest center for training and research on ceramics at the University level in India. With the passage of time it has changed its modus operandi but has maintained a high standard of education and training at B. Tech and M. Tech levels and also for research in the area. A glimpses of the research areas currently being pursued in Ceramic Engineering section will indicate how a balance between tradition and modern research in the field is struck.
- Synthesis & physico-chemical studies on monophase Zirconium Phosphate hydro gel.
- Sintering characteristic of Zircoria-alumina &Zirconia mullite precursor derived through sol-gel technique. Utilization of Sillimanite beach sand for synthesis of mullite-based aggregates used in castable refractories.
- Spinel bonded basic castable in relation to insitu and performed spinel. Mechanochemical mullite precursor bonded castables.
- Utilization of fly ash & blast furnace slag for the manufacture of value added ceramic products. Mixed activation of granulated blast furnace slag for formation of high slag port land cement.
- Decomposition kinetics of natural &synthetic precursors in relation to the preparation of Ferrite, ferroelectrics and other conventional ceramics.
- Low expansion kiln furniture such as Cordierite, Aluminium titanate derived conventionally &through sol-gel processing.
- Development of ceramic membrane through microwave sol-gel processing.
- Active silicon-carbon and silicon-silicon carbide and other composites from carbonized plant precursor (CSIR project in operation in collaboration CGCRI, Kolkata).
- Active Silica-carbon/ carbon/silica products from Rice Husk and their application for material fabrication / synthesis and for pollution control.
- Synthesis of inorganic bonding materials for ceramic application.
- Studies on the development of improved cement polymer concrete.
- Non- Newtonian rheology of clay & alpha alumina suspension during interaction with poly ions.
Till now about 80 research students have received their Ph.D Degrees from this division.
OIL TECHNILOGY:
Oil technology division is actively engaged in R&D activities in the areas of oil seeds, oils, soaps, surfactant, paints and allied products. Some of the major areas of currents research commensurate with requirements in technology developments for better utilization of raw materials & products which are as follows:
- Bio-Technology in fats &oil processing for better utilization of minor oils in edible fat products.
- Deacidification of high FFA Rice bran oil by biorefining process.
- Utilization of seed proteins by enzymatic &non enzymatic processes.
- Utilization of by product of oil industries to produce different value added products by developing eco-friendly processes.
- Nutritional evaluation of modified fats &oils and antioxidant activity of conjugated fatty acid under in-vitro condition.
- Effect of various natural antioxidants in diabetes mellitus in rat model.
- Studies on fat based lubricant, paint additives, surface active materials &synthetic detergents.
- Bio oxidation of fatty acid to produce dicarboxylic acids.
- Lipid profile of fish body & egg lipids.
- Lipid profile of different aquatic animals & their nutritional evaluation.
- Bio surfactant from suitable microbes & carbon sources.
- Enzymatic synthesis of various surface active molecules.
- Molecular distillation for refining fats and isolation value added minor components.
- Technology developments for the total utilization of rice bran in food & non food application.
The Oil Technology Division is actively engaged to work with industries through Calcutta University Industry Institute Partnership Program (CUIIPP). To name a few, (i) Coats of India Limited , Transport Depot Road, Kolkata, India (ii) Kanchan Oil Industries Ltd. Jhargram, Midnapore, W.B., India (iii) Asia Pacific Commodities Limited, Tadepalligudem, Andhra Pradesh (iv) Mother Dairy Limited, Dankuni, West Bengal (v) Quaker Chemicals Limited, Kolkata (vi) Edible Products (India) Pvt. Ltd. Kolkata
PETROCHEMICALS & PETROLEUM REFINARY ENGINEERING DIVISION:
The department is equipped with modern laboratory facilities like Automatic TBP, BET apparatus, Petroleum product analysis facilities etc. It is one of the leading few centers in India where a full fledged course in petrochemicals &petroleum refinery engineering is offered. This division is engaged in;
- Catalytic development for Hydrocracking.
- Dewaxing.
- Disproportionation reaction.
- Hydro treating.
- Hydro de sulphurisation
- Alkylation.
Besides, work is going on bio processes like Bio desulphurization (BDS), Bio remediation of hydrocarbons in collaboration of the institutes.
Several research projects are going on to manufacture synthetic ester oil based Jet engine lubricants, high temp high performance lubricant etc. Recent project works have been carried out for the development of softwares.
PHARMACEUTICALS & FINE CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION:
Pharmaceutical & fine chemical technology division of the department of chemical technology has its origin in the pharmaceutics &pharmaceutical chemistry specialization of the parent Applied Chemistry department. Advanced courses are offered to post B.Sc &post B.Tech. Students. The curricula encompass Synthesis of drugs & fine chemicals, Combinatorial chemistry, Rational drug design-QSAR studies, Principle of Therapeutics, Toxicology, Pharmoco kinetics & Pharmaco dynamics, Design of Pharmaceutical dosage forms, Fermentation technology, Immunology, Recombinant DNA Technology, Biological standardization, Pilot plant scale-up, Quality assurance, CGMP, Modern instrumental analysis & Bio statistics.
Sophisticated instrument like HPLC, FTIR, GCMS, ELIZA reader are already installed and in operation to support the researches going on. National seminar & workshops are also organized from time to time.
A consolidated list of research topics currently being pursued is as follows:
- Developments of non-steroidal anti fertility drugs.
- Non-steroidal anti inflammatory principles from medicinal plants.
- Drug lipid interaction.
- Drug design & molecular modeling-QSAR studies with connectivity indices, extra thermodynamic approaches etc.
- Surface modified nano capsular drug delivary system.
- Production of microbial enzymes for stereo selective bio conversion.
- Studies on Signal Transduction.
- Microbial desulphurisation and removal of aromatic hydrocarbons from petroleum products.
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