Under its centre of excellence for composites, the Ahmedabad Textile Industry Research Association (ATIRA) has come up with innovative products like textile reinforced concrete (TRC) which could substitute as cost effective building material and jute based composites for making 'quick to install' toilets which the institute plans to market through industry and government collaborations.
Having transformed from being an extension centre to industry to innovation centre of global repute, ATIRA has taken several initiatives in R&D and has established four Centre of Excellence (COE): nano-web technology, geo-synthetics, composites and protective textiles. The institute is looking to provide technical textiles based applications for several government initiatives like Housing for all, Clean India, Make in India, Green Technologies and Better Infrastructure.
ATIRA looks to achieve the same through development of technologies, new generation of technical textile based products, and entrepreneurship development.
Under the centre of excellence (COE) for composites, ATIRA has developed products like TRC and jute based composites for making 'quick-to-install' toilets, apart from jute stick based particle board, light weight composites based CNG cylinder and other building materials.
"Composites are lightweight, Overall cost efficient materials that have applications in many industries. Products made of composites have aesthetics value, quick to install and strenuous thus considered futuristic material. ATIRA through COE for composites is undertaking R&D and developing production technologies. In India, industry adopts 'businessman ship' where in proven technologies or products are imported. But for 'Make in India' agenda, it is necessary to adopt 'entrepreneurship' development. ATIRA needs encouragement to set up Incubation centre for technical textiles and proposes to entrepreneurship development through a joint initiative of ATIRA- iCreate (A Gujarat based entity set up by GFEE)," said R M Sankar of ATIRA.
Under the centre of excellence for nano-web fibre, the institute has developed innovative products like filtration for automobiles, protection from hot gas emissions, protective mask for swine flu as well as high risk industries manufacturing paints and chemicals.
Similarly, under geo-technical textiles COE ATIRA has recently taken up a project on the infrastructure development in the North Eastern Region of India. The region with tough terrains and with incessant rains is having severe problems of land slide, road blockage, water scarcity. geo-technical textiles applications are the only solution to all the problems. ATIRA is also looking to work on projects of road construction, prevention of erosion of soil, and creation of water basins and reservoirs.
For instance, in the Manipur state of North Eastern Region, four road construction projects in the tough terrains and eight water reservoirs are being taken up by ATIRA at a project outlay of Rs 427 crore from Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. ATIRA would lead in hard intervention as well as soft intervention like preparation of DPRs, testing, training and so-on.
Meanwhile, ATIRA is also setting up a Geosynthetic Testing Laboratory in Guwahati.
