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R&D effort
In India, the Bhavnagar-based central salt and marine chemicals research institute (CSMCRI) is doing some pioneering work in research and development in the fields of salt, marine and other allied inorganic chemicals. The major R&D programmes of the institute are related to salt and salt engineering, marine chemicals, ion exchange, resins, polymers, reverse osmosis, marine algae, inorganic chemicals, photoinorganic chemistry, phytosalinity, and desalination of brackish and saline water.The institute has helped the salt industry improve the yield and quality of their products. The all India average yield of salt per unit area has improved considerably because of the institute's efforts. CSMCRI has developed a technology, based on low-cost batch submersion process, for the production of iodised salt. This technology has been commercialised. Technologies have also been developed for the production of potassium schoenite from marine mixed salt, sodium sulfate from sels mixture, and potassium alum from mixed salt as well as solar stills. The institute also takes up consultancy work on problems related to its area of specialisation, specially those related to salt production and desalination of water. The institute’s future programmes are expected to concentrate on improving the design of salt washeries in order to upgrade salt quality, design and development of unit process operations for chemical treatment of brine, and purification by ion exchange and membrane cells.
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