Research Projects

India imports 80% of petroleum raw materials for various uses, including petrochemicals, fine chemicals, polymers, fertilizers, and agrochemicals. This dependence is particularly evident in priority areas like defence. To achieve Atmanirbhar Bharat, India needs to be independent and indigenized, ensuring availability of raw materials without interference from other countries. India has access to renewable sources like cellulose, starch, and vegetable oils, which could replace petroleum materials. To prioritize defense, a proposal is made to design 5 new energetic plasticizers and binders based on oligomers/resins of ester, esteramide, and hyperbranched types from non-edible vegetable oils as renewable materials. The non-edible oil/s selected will be from domestically available and untapped potential oils like neem oil, karanja oil, and mahuva oil. The percentage green content for scheme -1 is calculated to be 70-100%, while for scheme -2, it is around 20%.