S Lanka gets nanotechnology patents

COLOMBO, April 23 (LBO): A Sri Lankan private-public sector partnership has been able to acquire five international patents in nanotechnology in its first year of operations in a drive to commercially exploit the technology. International patents acquired in 2010 by the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTec) include carbon nanotubes, nano fertiliser and nano rubber, according to the central bank. This compares with Sri Lanka's past record rate of 1-1.5 international patents a year. The government is trying to improve research and development and allocated funds and gave tax breaks in its last budget. "Field testing has already commenced as the first step to commercialising some of these products," the bank has revealed in its annual report. Research and development in nanotechnology is being done in the sectors of textile and apparel products, the island's main industrial export, as well as it rubber-based products, fertilisers and mineral products like graphite and ilmenite. The textile and wearing apparel sector promise "immense potential" in making gains with the use of nanotechnology in its products as well as in the production mechanism, the central bank said. "Accordingly, research and development was carried out on nano textiles to be manufactured in Sri Lanka," it said, adding that some products are currently being developed to the commercialisation stage. "The use of nanotechnology in reducing the carbon footprint of garment manufacturing and also in garments' dyeing processes, are also currently in the stage of development for commercialisation" Another typical use of nanotechnology, the manipulation of matter on an atomic scale, that can have a favourable economic impact on Sri Lanka is nano fertiliser which can be used in commercial crops, the report said. "Nano fertiliser which is currently being field tested has a unique characteristic of high absorption efficiency which would result in lower fertiliser quantities required per arable unit of land." Similarly, the export of nano carbon tubes and nano titanium dioxide in place of the raw minerals that are exported currently has potential to increase export earnings.