Annual Report on the activities of VIAT 2006 -2007
- Dr Anu Ramaswami, Director, Urban Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering Project (USIEP), Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering Downtown, University of Colorado, Denver, visited VIAT on 7.07.2006 and gave a talk on sustainable development. She has also agreed to be in the Advisory Committee of VIAT and it was also decided to collaborate on the following aspects: a) Bio-diesel from algae b) Mass balance study on heavy metal removal by algae from STAHL effleuent Dr Anu Ramaswami is also in the Advisory Committee of VIAT
- VIAT conducted a National level symposium on “Biodiversity of algae and its role in bioremediation” in collaboration with Krishnamurthy Institute of Algology from 23rd to 25th September 2006. Dr Vidyavati, Former Vice-Chancellor Kakatiya University, inaugurated the Symposium. Visit http://www.geocities.com/viat06/programmes.htm for details.
- VIAT held a press meet on 4.10.2006, to announce its findings on SKY GEL, a polymer developed by MEBIOL Japan under a joint project with a Japanese Company (NCRM). It was also attended by two tissue culture specialists from Japan, Toshihide Shindo, Director and Aishu Hasegawa, Manager T S MERI TECH Co LtD, Yamanashi, Japan.
- VIAT signed an MOU with Perfetti van melle, an Italian company at Chennai, to work on the following aspects: a) To reduce the load to anaerobic digesters b) To use algae for increasing the pH of treated effluent from 4 to 7 c) To study the limnology of Perfetti lake
- Dr Reg Walters, Managing Director, SQC Pvt Ltd, Australia along with Mr Sailendra Bhaskar, President, Aban Informatics Pvt Ltd, Chennai visiting VIAT on 5.10 2006, to discuss a joint project on bio-diesel from micro algae
- Swami Sivamayanandaji Maharaj, one of the Trustees of Ramakrishna Math, Belur, visited VIAT on 14.12.2006
- VIAT completed the Project with SNAP natural and alginate products on the effluent treatment. Final scaling-up was done at a cost of 30 lakhs rupees and the slope tank is in operation now.
- Hindustan Coca Cola beverages Pvt Ltd has agreed to sign an MOU with VIAT to treat their effluent from all the units in India
- Suntex Processing Mills Pvt Ltd Chennai has agreed to sign an MOU for effluent treatment
- Agsar Paints from Tuticorin has contacted VIAT for effluent treatment. Discussion is on for signing MOU
- TWAD Board from Madurai has written to VIAT for consultancy on waste water treatment using algae
- A team of scientists from Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) visited VIAT to collaborate on perfecting the technology for treating effluents from leather industries.
- Bio-diesel SP SDN BHD Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has contacted VIAT for a project on bio-diesel from micro algae
- Dr N T Chellappa from Brazil visited VIAT on 2.2.2007. He also attended the PhD viva-voce examination of Mr. S Murugesan who did work on limnology of Porur Lake, Chennai under the guidance of Dr V Sivasubramanian.
- John Tharakan, Professor, Howard University, Washington DC visited VIAT and SNAP phycoremediation plant in February 2007 and agreed to have collaboration on bioremediation project.
- Mr G Shankarnarayan, Manager- Process Engineering, Coca Cola India Inc New Delhi visited VIAT on 24.03.2007 to discuss about effluent treatment project and signing an MOU.