Dehradun: In a bid to meet the shortage of ventilators and oxygen at a time when coronavirus pandemic has caused a large number of deaths, Dehradun-based Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) is producing oxygen from normal air which is expected to be very economical in coming days.
Scientists of IIP have developed a method of separating oxygen from the air which contains several gases.
Pune based National Chemicals Laboratory (NCL), one of the 38 chemical laboratories under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, is working with the IIP on this project.
Speaking on this, IIP’s senior scientist Dr Arati said that this is a pilot project which will be made fully operational within the next six months.
Read:Uttarakhand HC directs state govt to install ventilators in dedicated COVID-19 hospitals
"At present, the daily target of producing oxygen has been fixed at 50 litres. Once the project is successful, it is planned to increase the production and supply oxygen in small portable bottles," She said.
Initially, at the NCL, oxygen and nitrogen are separated from other gases in the air using membrane separation process. The air contains 40 per cent oxygen and the rest nitrogen.
In the second phase, 93 to 95 per cent oxygen is separated from the mixed gases, at the IIP, using absorption and membrane technique following which oxygen of the strength of 93 per cent will be supplied to hospitals.
It is to be noted that the head of the project is Dr Somen Dasgupt under whose guidance senior scientist Dr Arati is working.
Also Read:DRDO RCI develops 'touch-free' UVC sanitizer, can deactivate viruses without chemicals
