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Friday, 11 June 2021

The Oxygen Strategy- An Inclusive Growth Framework

Prof. Harish Hirani, 
Director, CSIR-CMERI

The Motivation

Oxygen Supplies have been marring the entire National Landscape since the advent of the COVID-19 Second Wave in March 2021. One of the major projected obstacles for the seamless flow of Oxygen across the Healthcare Facilities is the associated heavily complicated Oxygen Transportation Logistics i.e. Specialized Cryogenic Tanks, which besides being not available off-the-shelf also requires intensive Capital inputs. Besides, people were also forced to buy spurious Oxygen Concentrators lacking Reliability and Trustworthiness in terms of durability, endurance and performance.

In this scenario, it was felt that there is a need for Science & Technology to pitch-in and evolve Socio-Techno-Economic Model which primarily tries to achieve the following goals:

  • Decentralized Generation of Oxygen which is sans the Capital-intensive and Complicated Oxygen Delivery Logistics. The Decentralized Oxygen Generation model also ensures that there is a more democratic and widespread network of Oxygen Generation hubs across the Nation.
  • The in-situ Oxygen Generation Model would help in Localized Enriching of Oxygen and thus involve and engage the local communities in concentrating and managing this invaluable Medical Intervention resource.
  • Involving a Wider Community Participation in the Implementation Strategy- That pools together the Innovators, Business Entities, Healthcare Professionals, Financial Institutions and the Community.
  • Engaging the MSMEs for the development of a robust Economic Model and better outreach to the targeted areas. Besides, the motive was also to empower the MSMEs through interactive Virtual Sessions with proper Technical Training, comprehensive Exchange of Knowledge and Learning interactions. 

The Technology

The CSIR-CMERI Oxygen Enrichment Unit is an in-situ Oxygen Technology, which concentrates Oxygen from the ambient air using the Pressure Swing Adsorption Methodology (Fig. 1). The Oxygen Enrichment Unit has essentially two modules i.e. Compressor Unit and Oxygen Concentration Unit. The modular design has the added advantage of flexibility of placement of the product in a multi-bedded scenario. The CSIR-CMERI Technology has multiple competitive advantages in terms of Performance, Efficiency and Endurance.

Figure 1

Technology for Optimised Dosage of Oxygen through Advanced Technologies- A veritable answer to the Oxygen Short Supply

In addition, as per Scientific Reports our Inhalation process consumes only 1/3rd time of a Single Respiratory Cycle and the rest 2/3rd time is consumed for the process of exhalation. However, as a regular practice Oxygen is continuously administered to a patient. Thus, it can be logically concluded that almost 30-40% of the Oxygen is wasted in the process. This process of wastage can be appropriately controlled through appropriate technology interventions such as Advanced Pulse Dosage mechanism, which will be based upon timely dosage of Oxygen and will be sensed through appropriate Respiratory sensors. We are happy to inform that CSIR-CMERI is working upon the development of this Technology.

Advanced Oxygen Administering Systems

As per available Medical Journals, the usage of Nasal Cannula without Masks leads to significant transmission of Viral Load to nearby attendants. Even covered Oxygen Masks might lead to leakage of Viral Load through the small perforations on the sides of the masks, though in a much reduced level. Thus wearing N95 masks on top of the Nasal Cannula might contain this leakage to a certain extent; however, N95 masks might hinder the normal breathing process.

In this context, we are focused upon the development of Oxygen Delivery using appropriate NIV Masks/Hoods which would have separate inhaling and exhaling channels. The exhaling channel would be equipped with an efficient Viral/Bacterial Filter for trapping any transmission. (Fig 2&3)This would be extremely helpful in enclosed spaces such as Isolation Wards. The Oxygen dosage would be based upon the Respiratory sensors to ensure appropriate quantities of Oxygen is delivered as per need. The exhaled air would also be analyzed for Oxygen and the same would be reutilized for Oxygen generation, which would be again reused. 

Figure 2
Figure 3

With the onset of the COVID first and second wave, it has been observed that the larger Medical Establishments has bearing most of the load for COVID treatment. This situation has led to larger Medical Establishments being over-burdened. 

There is a need of developing Oxygen Enrichment Capacity of 100 LPM which can supply Oxygen for 10-bedded facilities (Up to 10 LPM for each bed). This is possible owing to the fact that the Compressor Unit and the Concentration Units are separate. Thus, this enables the entire system to function with a Single Compressor. The Oxygen Enrichment Unit would be located on the bedside and the FiO2 control would be optional. (Fig. 4.)

Figure 4

Existing Hospital Infrastructure

There was a huge ramping up of the Oxygen Plants during the recent COVID surges. Many Medical Establishments either boosted or setup Oxygen Plants in their facilities which may not be affordable for Small or Rural Hospitals. Thus, another Concept is also being worked upon whereby the Hybrid Version of the Advanced Oxygen Enrichment Technology will have the added advantage of being able to function along with Hospital Oxygen/Oxygen Cylinders for Intelligent Switching and Interventions in a variable manner. This technology will help in complementing Oxygen shortfalls, when the situation so arises.

Partnering with MSMEs for an Inclusive Business Model

Figure 5
Resilient growth and establishing Economic Stability are two primary objectives of the efforts of CSIR-CMERI. In lieu with this philosophical framework, CSIR-CMERI at the very advent of the Technology has been making efforts to partner with the MSMEs to proliferate the product in the Healthcare Fraternity. In this context, CSIR-CMERI joined hands with the MSME-Development Institutes across the Nation and organized a total of 20 Webinars and 15 of these Webinars were in association with the MSME-DIs, thereby benefitting thousands of Entrepreneurs, Micro and Small Businesses, Start-Ups and Business Association. Five Webinars on CSIR-CMERI Oxygen Technology were also organized by Professional Organizations. These Virtual Interactive Platforms provided an avenue for the exchange of Technical Knowledge Exchange. Owing to the widespread Vendor Network Database available with the Procurement Wing of the Institute and Information as garnered from the various business networks, CSIR-CMERI was also able to provide Raw Materials Sourcing Assistance and Virtual Hand Holding Sessions to the MSMEs until their first Prototype was available. Steadily the technology has been transferred to 13 MSMEs across the Nation. (Fig. 5)

Figure 6
The details of setting up a Manufacturing Plant for the CSIR-CMERI Oxygen Technology are illustrated in Fig. 6.

What will be the Business Prospects of the Technology Post-COVID?

To address the future viability of manufacturing Oxygen Products, it was informed the MSMEs that Oxygen Therapy will be relevant even in the days to come, since it is used as a Non-Invasive Therapy for faster Wound Healing, Cell Repair and self-healing of organs. The technology also has tremendous potential for applications in the domains of high-altitude defense as well as in places with high-altitude having significant tourist footfalls where it can be used as Oxygen Rejuvenation Hubs for fatigued tourists. The Anti-Microbial properties of Oxygen have significant regenerative capabilities and thus numerous other Medical applications. This multitude of application in diverse fields implies that the CSIR-CMERI developed Oxygen Enrichment Technology will remain Economically Viable as a business prospect for the MSMEs.

Future Strategy

Further R&D in this direction has led to explore possibilities of improving the versatility of the product through applications in numerous scenarios. A need was steadily felt for further improvising the technology through value-additions, which would expand its usability and multiply its effectiveness. The Advanced Oxygen Enrichment Unit is being developed having Independent Controls for Oxygen Enrichment (FiO2) and Flow Rate.  It can be equipped with SPO2 sensor and C-PAP with an estimated capacity of 15 LPM of enriched Oxygenated Air (93+3%). The Prototype experiments have been showing encouraging results and might soon see the light of the day.

List of Business Associations and Institutes CSIR-CMERI partnered with for Awareness Generation of the Business Entities (Fig. 7a-7c):

  1. MSME-Development Institute, Raipur- 25.04.2021
  2. MSME-Development Institute, Ahmedabad-29.04.2021
  3. MSME-Development Institute, Cuttack-30.04.2021
  4. MSME-Development Institute, Indore-30.04.2021
  5. MSME-Development Institute, Varanasi-03.05.2021
  6. MSME-Development Institute, Jaipur- 04.05.2021
  7. MSME-Development Institute, Karnal, Haryana-05.05.2021
  8. MSME-Development Institute, Ranchi-07.05.2021
  9. MSME-Development Institute, Thrissur-11.05.2021
  10. MSME-Development Institute, Durgapur-14.05.2021
  11. MSME-Development Institute, Ahmedabad-24.05.2021
  12. MSME-Development Institute, Ranchi-25.05.2021
  13. MSME-Development Institute, Mumbai & Aurangabad-27.05.2021
  14. MSME-Development Institute, Indore-31.05.2021
  15. MSME-Development Institute, Jammu & Kashmir-04.06.2021

Professional Organizations (Fig. 7):

  1. PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry, New Delhi- 18.05.2021
  2. ASSOCHAM, East and North East-19.05.2021
  3. Indian Medical Association, Tamil Nadu-29.05.2021
  4. FICCI Kerala State Council-01.06.2021
  5. SIDBI, Assam- 02.06.2021
Figure 7a
Figure 7b
Figure 7c

The massive MSME Outreach and Awareness Exercise conducted by CSIR-CMERI have resulted in 13 MSMEs across the Nation being handed the Know-How of this indigenously developed Technology. Out of these 13 MSMEs few have already developed Prototype and it has been rolled out to the markets.

The CSIR-CMERI Oxygen Enrichment Technology has received tremendous response from both the MSMEs and the Media Houses across the Nation. Some of the media coverage by prominent Media houses are mentioned (Fig. 8):

Figure 8




To Learn further about the Technology Click the Link below and Contact:
https://www.cmeri.res.in/technology/oxygen-enrichment-unit

Dr. Anjali Chatterjee
Head, Department of Business, Innovation and Skills
CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur
e-mail: bdg@cmeri.res.in
Phone:  9434720494
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Tuesday, 5 January 2021

Happy New Year - From the Director's Desk

Prof. Harish Hirani, 
Director CSIR-CMERI

At the outset, I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the stakeholders of CSIR-CMERI who have contributed in one way or other for taking the Institute to the greater heights during yesteryears and supported the Institute to achieve its vision even during the period of pandemic with their tireless efforts. On the onset of this year, I wish a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year 2021 to all my CSIR-CMERI family members and such stakeholders. I urge all to welcome the New Year with a lot of determination in the areas of research, training, technical services, and social work through technological interventions.

We have been working in the area of research, but unfortunately, many practitioners view the laboratory research as impractical and ungrounded in real life. High-quality research ought to be aligned with the perceived needs of the Society. How do we transform our thought process to fully comprehend the ideas of Science as a tool for delivery of Societal Solutions? Research sensitizes decision makers to new ideas and innovations. Research may convert existing problems into non-problems through application of dynamic minds. Research can help drastically revise the way that policymakers define issues. It also helps to expand the horizons of the parameters within which policy solutions are sought at the same time, bridges the gap between requirement of effective solutions and availability of the same. In the long run, through collective efforts of other influencers, it often redefines the policy agenda. But all the above are possible if young curious minds come together and align with dynamic leadership.

Today, there is a need to disseminate acquired Scientific Knowledge to youngsters and MSME. The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India in his today’s address has urged CSIR and other scientific organisations to reach to more and more students in order to inculcate inquisitiveness and nurture the future scientists, policy makers.  In this line, we have already started participating in programs such as Jigyasa (for school students), Skill development (ITI, Diploma, MSME), and CSR (Industry) to reach to the common man (society). Efforts have been made to initiate social change through collaborative efforts between academicians and practitioners. CSIR-CMERI is continuously engaged in dissemination of Scientific Knowledge to the Young Minds of the Nation to describe science & innovation as engines of economic opportunities and key contributors to affordability crisis. Numerous Webinars programs have been organised by CSIR-CMERI and promoted through Social Media tools to ensure maximum outreach. The Webinars organised cover a wide array of subjects ranging from Bio-Mimetic Robots, Renewable Energy, Municipal Solid Waste Management, Farm Mechanization, Water Purification etc. These, interactive Webinars sows the seeds of ‘Curiosity and Inquiry’ in the young minds and thus helps in the development of a ‘Scientific Temper’ in them. We wish to pay adequate emphasis on strategic issues to minimize social inequality. Normally, people envision the recruitment process as a local affair. But during the recent recruitment of stenos and assistants in the Institute, we adopted wider perspective. Since CSIR-CMERI is a National Institute, its workforce should represent a National Character. Consequently, the venue of the Selection Process was decided for selection of the best candidates from across the Nation. The diverse background of the finally selected candidates showcases that some of them belong from Economically Marginalised backgrounds but had tremendous potential. They have been able to significantly improve the quality of life of their Family Members and also contributed significantly in attaining the goals of the Institute after being provided the platform to showcase their potential.

Further, we need to appreciate that the dynamic nature of the work assignments of the modern day requires Leaders to continuously evolve their style of leadership. There is also a need to engage the first level managers in decision making and to continuously involve new performers in decision making, to ensure the creation of New Perspectives and Ideas.

During this year’s resolution, I wish to emphasize on Civic learning, which is very critical for our society and identifying effective mechanisms for improving the quality of life for all citizens. Substantial Infrastructure has been developed in the recent times to facilitate a Good Quality Life for the CMERIans and their Family Members. There ought to be a sound Civic Sense amongst the CMERIans as CSIR-CMERI is an emblem of discipline and Societal Awareness.

We have been developing infrastructure to support technical services. We developed "water testing facility", "full workshop setup", "Added a number of sophisticated equipment in NDT and material science area". Today we are trying to establish technical services for farm machinery equipment. Agriculture i.e. production of food is the fundamental premise for the sustenance of any society, especially during abnormal situations such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, the same is not economically feasible in numerous regions and circumstances owing to scarcity of Water and unavailability of affordable fertilisers and few other issues. CSIR-CMERI’s Waste Water Treatment Technology uses easily sourceable technology to convert Waste Water into Water fit for Agricultural Purposes. This technology is currently deployed in the CSIR-CMERI Residential Colony and is currently successfully being used for organic farming purpose. Besides, the organic manure is skilfully sourced from the Bio-Gas plants and the MSW facility. Thus, this Agricultural Practice becomes both economically as well as environmentally viable. Since, practicing Agriculture will also absorb humongous amounts of Carbon Dioxide from the environment and will also provide us with Food. This step will provide us with Food Security and might help feed the 14% (Global Hunger Index Report 2020) of the Indian population living in hunger.

During COVID-19, the sudden Comprehensive Lockdown across the Globe massively shook the foundations of the Global Supply Chains as well stressed out the sourcing of Raw Materials. The huge Import-Dependence of India on critical components and high-end/medical equipment, exposed the huge-gaps in the manufacturing sector of India.  The limelight now should be upon the development of Decentralised and not Capital-Intensive Manufacturing hubs across the Nation. Therefore innovative manufacturing is in demand. Skill, Reskill and Up-skill in manufacturing sector is required. In this regard the training programs introduced by CSIR-CMERI will give an opportunity to the Young Minds to acquaint them with the latest Technological developments at CSIR-CMERI and provide them an opportunity to skill themselves on Operations and Maintenance of these technologies, thereby providing them with a viable economic opportunity. Thus, most of the technologies developed at CSIR-CMERI are characterised to be decentralised in nature. These Decentralised Models of Technologies have dual-benefit, i.e. firstly it allows the local communities to actively participate in the manufacturing, operations and maintenance, thereby providing them with an Economic as well as Skilling Opportunity and secondly, it provides a vehicle for the technologies to be immediately deployed for the benefit of the Society through the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises. Besides, the sourcing options for CSIR-CMERI have also been diversified through maximal promotion of Local Manufacturers/Vendors/Business entities. ‘Trust and Collaboration’ will be our key mantra for 2021.

I would like to conclude this by sharing our experience we went through during the various phases of Lockdown. Since March, we have received 12 major CSIR projects amounting Rs. 17 Crore. Few important projects have been entrusted to CSIR-CMERI to provide comprehensive solution to remove the drudgery of manual scavenging, sustainable cooking solution for rural people, development of cotton ball picking head etc. In this crisis period (From April to December), our Institute has also earned around 8.25 Crore from external source like sponsored projects and technical services (Govt as well as Industrial funding). Moreover, few notable International projects were also sanctioned during the period. Apart from that, the highest number of SCI journal papers have been published in this year i.e. 120 (published + online). In this year, 48 nos of IPRs (DR: 7, CR: 31, Patent: 10) have been filed from our Institute. During unforeseen and sudden onset of the COVID 19 pandemic, CSIR-CMERI was raised to the occasion and able to develop numerous COVID 19 technologies such as the IntelliMAST, Sprayers, Road Sanitizing Units, COVID Protection System, different Variants of Facemasks etc. In spite of this very hostile scenario there were a total of 35 Technology Transfers amounting to almost 154 Lakhs in the year 2020.

With this I again congratulate all the members of CSIR-CMERI family for their contributions and our stakeholders for their association, especially during the Pandemic situation. We should also take a New Year resolution at this juncture to devote ourselves with more enthusiasm towards providing sustainable, effective and affordable solutions to the Society through technological interventions.

Jai Hind!

[HARISH HIRANI]


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