The Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT) began as a regional research laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for East India in 1964. Fast forward 46 years, it is one of the best institutes in the country engaged in R&D on a broad spectrum of issues related to mineral and material resource engineering.
Though located right in the middle of Bhubaneswar, IMMT is protected from all the noise and pollution of a big city. The campus is huge and lush green. Scientists and students are thus provided the opportunity to research and study in peace and tranquility. Sprawling across 150 acres of fenced land with beautiful gardens, IMMT offers a welcome relief from the usual cramped institutions in the heart of a city.
The institute is well endowed with an experienced inter-disciplinary faculty and state-of-the-art facilities to impart quality education and research experience. Every year, IMMT carries out a number of research projects funded by mineral and material industries as well as the state and central governments in important areas of industrial and national interest.
Research projects
The USP of the institute is that, among its faculty, there are experts and active
researchers representing almost all areas of minerals research. The research interests of the faculty are in six major areas — mineral engineering, bio-minerals and biotechnology, hydro and electrometallurgy, colloids and materials chemistry, advanced materials and environment and sustainability.
“IMMT aims at meeting the technological challenges of future, in terms of increasing resource base, processing low grade and complex ores, extraction of minerals and metal values, energy efficiency, resolution of environmental constraints, waste recycling and disposal and, more importantly, development of advanced materials for various functional requirements in energy, environment and structural applications,” says Prof BK Mishra, director, IMMT.
One of the most important R&D initiatives launched this year involves
hydrogen plasma-based iron making and microwave processing of iron ore. As far as energy is concerned, its scientists are continuing their work on deriving bio-fuel from micro-algae, bio-methanation from vegetable waste and also improving the efficiency of various combustion devices, especially conversion of oil to coal-fired furnaces etc.
IMMT is engaged in 74 R&D grant-in-aid projects for agencies like the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, NOVOD Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests, IREL Kerala, Department of Science and Technology, IREL Kollam,
DMSRDE (DRDO) Kanpur etc. Apart from this, it is involved in collaborative projects with Heavy Water Plant (DAE), Talcher, IGCAR, Kalpakkam etc. It also has got five patents in India.
At present, there are 105 scientists and 250 technical staff engaged in R&D activities in various fields with around 14 full-time and 12 part-time scholars pursuing their PhD programmes.
Facilities
To match their needs, IMMT has structured its laboratories to ensure that its facilities are accessible to every student and scientists, including high-end equipment such as microwave sintering furnace and a four-jar planetary ball mill. The institute has recorded a contract research funding of Rs 10 crore and 100 science papers this year that are an all-time high.
The campus library is fully computerised and houses an array of over 30,000 volumes in subjects like extractive metallurgy, materials science, mineral processing, geology, chemistry, natural products, energy and environment etc. It also provides online access to more than 4,500 journals from 13 leading publishers of S&T journals, Web of Science database, Derwent Patents, ASTM standards and Bureau of Indian Standards. The campus has a computer centre, large auditorium, hostels for students and sports facilities that include a newly-laid cricket ground, tennis and indoor badminton court. It also has a fully equipped hospital.
Associated institutes
IMMT has signed MoUs with many institutions like Australia’s Murdoch University to collaborate in the fields of nanotechnology, mineral science and biotechnology, Institute of Mechanics — Lomonosov State Univerisity, Moscow, Drexel University, USA, Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), Essar Steel Limited, Sambalpur University, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University etc.
Courses
Besides research work, IMMT has recently started making significant contribution to the minerals industry by training a large pool of students. It offers a one-year postgraduate diploma in mineral engineering (PGDME) and a two-year PG research programme on materials resource engineering (PGMRE). While PGDME began last year, the latter has been running for two years.
“Although India has hundreds of engineering colleges, teaching in mineral engineering is virtually non-existent. So, there is a large vacuum of professionals in this field in India. After establishing ourselves in mineral processing research last year, we have plans to generate professionals to bridge the gap between availability and demand for trained manpower,” says Prof Mishra.
While the course has six months of classroom education, the rest is devoted to hands-on training. Amit Pratap Singh of Pratapgarh, Allahabad who is doing PGDME, says the teaching scenario at IMMT is different. “It is not just books but equal importance is given towards practical training of a student. Seminars and workshops are organised at regular intervals that makes the course all the more interesting,” Singh adds.
The course is open for both sponsored (employed in industries) and non-sponsored candidates. A degree in engineering or equivalent in chemical, mechanical, metallurgical, mineral and mining engineering from any recognised institute is a must to get into the course.
Similarly, the two-year full time residential PGMRE aims at imparting advanced knowledge in mineral engineering and process metallurgy with underpinning scientific concepts and process engineering principles.
Says Prof Mishra, “This programme is built on the philosophy of promoting quality education and enabling a centre of learning to develop research and industry-ready manpower, who can become future technology leaders in mineral engineering, process metallurgy and advanced materials.”
One cannot deny the fact that IMMT provides the best training in materials resource engineering, says Priyanka Rajput, a PGMRE student from Kanpur. “Infrastructure, visiting professors and scientists are the best in the industry.”
Agrees her classmate Dhiman Bhattacharya from Jamshedpur. “The institute has an exhaustive list of equipment for practical training of the students, which is why IMMT occupies a niche position in this field,” he says.
As far as eligibility is concerned, a UG degree in engineering or technology is a prerequisite qualification to apply for this programme. The selected candidates for PGMRE are provided a fellowship of Rs 25,000 per month.
When students complete the programme, they’ll get opportunities to join the growing industrial sector. When students get a distinction in PGMRE, they maybe considered for jobs within CSIR as regular scientists. But there are just 10 seats for the current batch.
Future plans
The Innovation Centre for Plasma Processing that is being set up at the institute with CSIR funding will house state-of-the-art plasma processing facilities for processing of minerals and materials for different high value applications.
There’s never a dull moment at IMMT. Students and scientists are involved in various national and international-level seminars, workshops and conferences. This ensures all-round development of the students.
— diana@expressbuzz.com