VIVEKANANDA INSTITUTE OF ALGAL TECHNOLOGY (VIAT)

1. Dr Anu Ramaswami, Director, Urban Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering Project (USIEP), Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering Downtown, University of Colorado, Denver, visited VIAT on 7.07.2006 and gave a talk on sustainable development. She has also agreed to be in the Advisory Committee of VIAT and it was also decided to collaborate on the following aspects:
a) Bio-diesel from algae
b) Mass balance study on heavy metal removal by algae from STAHL effleuent
Dr Anu Ramaswami is also in the Advisory Committee of VIAT
2. VIAT conducted a National level symposium on “Biodiversity of algae and its role in bioremediation” in collaboration with Krishnamurthy Institute of Algology from 23rd to 25th September 2006. Dr Vidyavati, Former Vice-Chancellor Kakatiya University, inaugurated the Symposium. Visit http://www.oocities.org/viat06/programmes.htm for details.
3. VIAT held a press meet on 4.10.2006, to announce its findings on SKY GEL, a polymer developed by MEBIOL Japan under a joint project with a Japanese Company (NCRM). It was also attended by two tissue culture specialists from Japan, Toshihide Shindo, Director and Aishu Hasegawa, Manager T S MERI TECH Co LtD, Yamanashi, Japan.

4. VIAT signed an MOU with Perfetti van melle, an Italian company at Chennai, to work on the following aspects:
a) To reduce the load to anaerobic digesters
b) To use algae for increasing the pH of treated effluent from 4 to 7
c) To study the limnology of Perfetti lake

5. Dr Reg Walters, Managing Director, SQC Pvt Ltd, Australia along with Mr Sailendra Bhaskar, President, Aban Informatics Pvt Ltd, Chennai visiting VIAT on 5.10 2006, to discuss a joint project on bio-diesel from micro algae
6. Swami Sivamayanandaji Maharaj, one of the Trustees of Ramakrishna Math, Belur, visited VIAT on 14.12.2006
7. VIAT completed the Project with SNAP natural and alginate products on the effluent treatment. Final scaling-up was done at a cost of 30 lakhs rupees and the slope tank is in operation now.

8. Hindustan Coca Cola beverages Pvt Ltd has agreed to sign an MOU with VIAT to treat their effluent from all the units in India
9. Suntex Processing Mills Pvt Ltd Chennai has agreed to sign an MOU for effluent treatment
10. Agsar Paints from Tuticorin has contacted VIAT for effluent treatment. Discussion is on for signing MOU
11. TWAD Board from Madurai has written to VIAT for consultancy on waste water treatment using algae
12. A team of scientists from Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) visited VIAT to collaborate on perfecting the technology for treating effluents from leather industries.
13. Bio-diesel SP SDN BHD Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has contacted VIAT for a project on bio-diesel from micro algae
14. Dr N T Chellappa from Brazil visited VIAT on 2.2.2007. He also attended the PhD viva-voce examination of Mr. S Murugesan who did work on limnology of Porur Lake, Chennai under the guidance of Dr V Sivasubramanian.
15. John Tharakan, Professor, Howard University, Washington DC visited VIAT and SNAP phycoremediation plant in February 2007 and agreed to have collaboration on bioremediation project.
16. Mr G Shankarnarayan, Manager- Process Engineering, Coca Cola India Inc New Delhi visited VIAT on 24.03.2007 to discuss about effluent treatment project and signing an MOU.

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