Kakinada: RGUKT Students Develop Coating from Raw China Clay
The student team has also secured three patents in related research areas.
Kakinada: Students of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (MME) at the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), Nuzvid, have developed a coating using locally sourced raw China clay after two years of research.
The student team has also secured three patents in related research areas.
The coating has potential applications in ferroalloys, steelmaking and molten metal processing, according to MME assistant professor A.V. Sreenu, who guided the students.
Sreenu said raw China clay extracted in the state was currently being sent to neighbouring states for refining due to a lack of local refining facilities, limiting its commercial potential.
The student-led start-up KIIMS (Karthikeya Innovative Industrial Materials and Solutions) plans to refine the mineral within the state and manufacture the specialised coating.
The team is also researching the use of the raw material to develop advanced coatings for automotive components and the steel sector, besides functional products for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paper and inks, he said.
Inaugurating the KIIMS start-up incubation space, RGUKT Vice-Chancellor M.L.N. Rao said local processing of the mineral would promote regional self-reliance, create employment opportunities and increase mining revenues.
He appreciated the students and Sreenu for converting academic research into an enterprise and assured institutional support.
EITP Dean P. Shyam, central dean Dr Sravani, dean Sadhu Chiranjeevi and faculty members Madhusudhan, B. Venkateswarlu, T. Siva and Siva Kumar were present.
