Page 135 - CW E-Magazine (13-5-2025)

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SUPERCAPACITOR MATERIAL

Researchers develop new material to bring down

cost for energy storage systems

A multi-institutional research team offers a fi vefold increase in gravimetric
led by Nagaland University has patented, energy density over its non-aminated
cost-effective method to produce high- counterpart while maintaining over 98%
performance electrode material for next- energy retention after 10,000 cycles”.
generation energy storage devices. This
breakthrough could lead to cheaper and The research was conducted in col-
more scalable supercapacitors, the re- laboration with Karnataka universities –
searchers said. Visvesvaraya Technological University
and Nagarjuna College of Engineering
These supercapacitors are gaining and Technology. The technology was
global interest for their ability to store material can help improve the perfor- also granted an Indian patent.
large amounts of energy and charge rapi- mance and lower the cost of energy
dly. They can be used as key technology storage systems, researchers said. “Initial tests show an energy density
for electric vehicles, renewable energy exceeding 50 Wh/kg and a wide electro-
systems, and grid stabilisation. However, Professor Dipak Sinha, Department chemical window of 2.2v – metrics
the high cost of electrode materials has of Chemistry, Nagaland University, said, comparable to global benchmarks,” the
been a signifi cant barrier to wider adop- “Unlike traditional methods that are university said in a statement. While the
tion. time-consuming and resource-intensive, discussions for commercial partnerships
this new approach operates under moder- are developing, the researchers believe
The team developed a new approach ate temperature and pressure conditions. the material’s properties could open ave-
to produce ‘functionalised graphene’, a This makes the supercapacitor energy- nues for potential applications in electric
supercapacitor material which is a deri- effi cient, faster, and more suitable for mobility, defence systems, and critical
vative of reduced graphene oxide. This large-scale production. The process infrastructure.

DIVERSIFICATION
Kesar Petroproducts begins production at new

fertiliser unit at Ratnagiri

Mumbai-based pigment producer, and cosmetics. “We expect this foray
Kesar Petroproducts Ltd., has announced into the fertiliser industry to signifi cantly
the start of commercial production at its boost our revenues in the coming months.
new fertiliser plant in Ratnagiri, Maha- We expect the new unit to generate
rashtra. This new plant, with an annual around 20 per cent additional revenue per
capacity of 6,000 tons, will manufac- annum in the coming years,” Mr. Dinesh
ture fertilisers, signifi cantly boosting Sharma, Chairman and Mr. Shreyas
the company’s topline moving forward. Sharma, CEO, of Kesar Petroproducts,
The by-products of the pigment plant will were quoted as saying in a press note.
be used to manufacture fertilisers at the 150 tons per month of alpha blue, 200 tons
new facility, which will also enhance the per month of beta blue, and 50 tons per Kesar Petroproducts is a leading
pigment capacity in the existing plant. month of pigment green. The colourants manufacturer of phthalocyanine blue
produced are used in a wide spectrum crude and its downstream products in the
Kesar Petroproducts currently pro- of industries and consumers, including country, contributing up to 15 percent of
duces close to 600 tons per month of printing inks, paints and coatings, plas- the entire copper phthalocyanine market
copper phthalocyanine blue crude, tics, paper, ceramics, textiles, glass, food, in the country.

Chemical Weekly May 13, 2025 135

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