The MoU was signed between senior CGM (Corporate Affairs) NRL, Nikunja Borthakur and director, IITG TG Sitharam.

Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has joined hands with Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G) to develop bio-degradable plastics from oil and bio-refinery streams.

Priyanka Hazarika, assistant manager, corporate communications, NRL said an R&D project with a financial involvement of Rs. 4 crore has been identified.

She said as part of the project the ‘NRL Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Materials’ will be set up in IIT-G campus.

Earlier, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between NRL and IITG for establishing ‘NRL Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Materials’ at the premier institute of learning.

The MoU was signed between senior CGM (Corporate Affairs) NRL, Nikunja Borthakur and director, IITG TG Sitharam.

The MoU shall be applicable for a period of five years.

RL Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Materials’ (NCESM) will facilitate further research activities in development of sustainable materials from oil and bio-refinery streams, which is in sync with NRL’s Environment Management Policy.

“Specific research and development projects will be sponsored by NRL under this MoU for which project specific memorandum of agreement (MoAs) will be signed separately.

“NRL employees will be actively engaged in the R&D projects under NCESM,” Hazarika said.

This collaboration is expected to boost industry-academia interaction for enhancing engineering and technological competence through R&D activities and would address-challenges faced by industries like NRL.

Smita Bhattacharyya is Northeast Now Correspondent in Jorhat. She can be reached at: [email protected]