• CSIR - Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute
  • G20
Salt and Marine Chemicals

Title of Process/ Know-how/ Product/Design/Equipment

Preparation of ultrapure salt meeting Pharmaceutical-grade specifications.

  • IPR
    IPR Status & Details:
  • In process
Application/Uses/Problem being addressed

The Indian demand for ultrapure salt of pharmaceutical applications, currently worth US$ 6.5 M, is projected to see a growth of 8.5% through to 2028 to reach 38,000 metric tons. As there is, no major manufacturer of pharmaceutical sodium chloride in India, and several small manufacturers may not meet the projected demand, it is necessary to establish a process for large volume production in continuous basis. Considering the growing demand, lowest market price (363 US$ /Ton) after China and 3rd largest salt producing country in the world, India can play a global role in this sector.

Salient Technical Features including Competing Features/ Impact
  • It is a combination of chemical and physical method to separate the impurities to get the Pharma-grade salt.
  • The process does not uses expensive BaCl2 which also toxic in nature.
  • This process can be scaled-up as a continuous process without the time consuming recrystallization step.
  • The process can be easily tuned as per the requirement.
  • The production cost is very less to sustain in the market.
    • TRL Level & Scale of Development:
    TRL 5
    Business scope & opportunity (in terms of scale, cost, market etc.):

    The process has several advantages over existing processes. Hence, this process has huge business scope considering the cost and easiness to scale-up.  

    Environmental Considerations:

    The process is environmental friendly. The solid by-product Magnesium hydroxide along with other metal hydroxides can be used for derive other magnesia chemicals.

    Status of Licensing:
    Ready for licensing
    Status of Commercialization:
    Not applicable
    Major Raw Materials Needed

    Raw NaCl, NaOH/CaO/Na2CO3

    Major Plant Equipment and Machinery Required

    Brine tank with agitator, Nutsche filter, Single/Multi-stage evaporator, Ultrafiltration unit, Centrifuge, process pump, Dryer

    Techno-Economics

    Production cost of the salt will be around ₹13-14/kg.

    Technology Package

    Technical specification of each component, design drawing & layout, installation & commissioning, demonstration, basic training for the process (SOP).

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