Valuable research: GCU set to sell three patents to industry

Patents for nano fertiliser, zinc-oxide nanoflakes and double-super phosphate set to be auctioned.

LAHORE: The Government College University (GCU) is set to auction three patents registered with the United States Patents Office to industrial firms.

The patents are for a nano fertiliser, zinc-oxide nanoflakes and double-super phosphate.

“We are negotiating with various fertiliser companies to start commercial production of nano fertiliser. It will be highly beneficial for the farmers,” GCU Vice Chancellor Muhammad Khaleequr Rehman told The Express Tribune.

“Traditional fertilisers lose 50 per cent of their nutrient content due to leaching. They also contaminate ground water. The nano-leucite fertiliser ensures minimum nutrient loss and reduced groundwater contamination,” a GCU scientist associated with the project told The Express Tribune.

Medicine salt: GCU scientists patented the world’s purest medicine salt. “The analytical grade salt, patented in the US, prepared by GCU scientists is the world’s purest salt with a 99.7 per cent purity level. The best analytical grade salt currently used by multinational pharmaceutical companies has a purity level of 99.5 per cent,” GCU Registrar Akhyar Farrukh said.

Rehman said that Pakistan could make billions of tonnes of the analytical grade salt and export it for its use in medicines. “Despite having all the resources, Pakistan is an underdeveloped country because we export raw materials and then import finished products. Indigenous industries have to cooperate with universities for the development of the country,” he said.

Filtration of textile industry waste: GCU scientists also have a US patent for developing zinc-oxide nanoflakes that can filter the waste produced by the textile industry.

The double super phosphate, won the best innovation of 2015 award from the Institute of Research Promotion (IRP).

“It is a superior phosphate fertiliser because of high phosphorus content. United States produces 300,000 tonnes of high phosphorus fertiliser per year for their indigenous need. Pakistan is not producing it because of non-availability of a cheap source of phosphoric acid. GCU scientists have developed the double super phosphate using indigenous phosphate rock instead of phosphoric acid,” the GCU registrar said.

“The university has also reported progress in research in social sciences. The Persian Department is compiling a comprehensive Urdu-to-Persian dictionary. The first volume of the dictionary has been published. The university faculty wrote more than 20 books last year,” he said.

“The faculty has won more than 37 national and international research projects over the last three years,” he said.

“Research output of the university faculty has significantly increased since 2011; with 149 papers in 2011-12, 212 in 2012-13 and 227 papers in 2013-14,” Dr Akhyar said.

“We are paying attention to patents and research because Pakistani industries demand ready-made technology. They (industrialists) do not support you to develop new technologies. There is a certain amount of trust deficit. Now the industry needs to start trusting Pakistani scientists for the solution to their problems,” Rehman said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2015.