Tamil Nadu   

NLC achieves a breakthrough

NEYVELI: The Neyveli Lignite Corporation has achieved a breakthrough in extracting humic acid, an eco-friendly plant nutrient, from lignite. It is the culmination of 20 years of research undertaken by the Centre for Applied Research and Development (CARD) of the NLC.

The NLC obtained the patent rights for its manufacture in August 2006. Ever since it has been churning out 3.06 lakh litres of humic acid a year from the pilot plant set up at the cost of Rs. 20 lakh.

The NLC sources said that from one tonne of lignite, 10,000 litres of humic acid of two to four per cent concentration, worth Rs 1.42 lakh, could be obtained. The product is being sold at the rate of Rs. 15 a litre to the local farmers who find it useful to get a higher yield of 30 to 50 per cent.

The sources said that lignite contained about 50 to 60 per cent humic acid. It could be applied to cereals, pulses, oil seeds, vegetables and commercial crops, trees, orchards, ornamental plants, nurseries, and green house crops for the best results. Compared to chemical fertilizers, the humic acid was cheaper by 25 per cent.

Having realised the market potential, the NLC had decided to go for commercialisation of the know-how for humic acid production.

For the purpose, NLC Chairman-cum-Managing Director S. Jayaraman signed a Memorandum of Understanding with his counterpart Somenath Ghosh of the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), New Delhi, at the corporate office here on Wednesday.

Mr. Jayaraman said that when the support for dispensing with chemical fertilizers was gaining ground, humic acid would be well received by farmers. Mr. Ghosh said the NRDC would deploy a team to the NLC to study the further prospects of extracting other derivatives from lignite.

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