NALCO inks R&D agreement with BARC

Bhubaneswar, May 10 (PTI) State-run NALCO today said it has signed an MoU with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, for research and development cooperation in the fields of mutual interest.

Under the MoU, R&D projects like Extraction of Gallium from Bayer liquor, Extraction of rare earth elements from Red Mud and Development of Reference Standards would be taken up, a company release said here.

"Extraction of Gallium from Bayer Liquor will be NALCO's first R&D project with BARC with an objective to develop indigenous technology for this strategic metal, for our country," Nalco CMD Tapan Kumar Chand said.

The pact was signed by BK Satpathy, Executive Director (Business Development), NALCO and Jagtap, Director (Chemistry Group), BARC in presence of NALCO CMD, Dr Chand and Principal Scientific Advisor to Union Government and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet, Dr Rajagopal Chidambaram.