The Hindu Business Line : Pact signed for asphalt centre at IIT-Madras

Pact documents: Mr Sarthak Behuria, Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation (right), exchanging documents of an MoU with Mr T. T. Narendran, Dean ICSR, IIT Madras (left) in Chennai on Monday. Mr M.S. Ananth, Director, IIT Madras (centre), and Mr K. K. Acharya, Managing Director, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd, are also seen. —

Press Trust of India

Chennai, Sept. 10 A Centre for Asphalt Science and Technology will come up at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras to cater to the industry needs and offer technical specifications on modified asphalt.

The centre, scheduled to be operational from July 1, 2008, is being set up with financial support from oil companies, including Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and the Department of Science and Technology.

Collaboration accord

A memorandum of collaboration in this regard was signed today by the IIT-M and IOC. The IIT-M Director, Prof M.S. Ananth, and the IOC Chairman, Mr Sarthak Behuria, presided over the signing of the MoC.

The oil companies would invest about Rs 2.5 crore and an equal amount would be sought from the DST to set up the centre, Prof Murali Krishna of the Civil Engineering Department of the institute, where the centre is proposed to come up, said.

Multigrade bitumen

The centre would focus on developing multigrade bitumen, the IOC Director (R&D), Mr Anand Kumar,, said.

The Research and Development centre of IOC also signed an memorandum of collaboration with the National Centre for Catalysis Research of the IIT-M for development of alumina with special characteristics.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Ananth called for more R&D centres in the country in such fields.

Mr Behuria said that political instability in oil producing regions and spiralling prices of crude oil necessitated innovation and more focus on R&D in related fields.

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