Of pothole-free roads and green tyres

I attended my first seminar as member of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) yesterday. Though I've attended such events before as a journalist, this was different. For one, as a member, you can't walk out of a presentation no matter how sleepy you feel. Yes, the coordinator mentioned that "coffee and tea would be available for all those who feel the need to keep awake," but things are not as easy as a journalist walking out of an event he/she considers boring (unfortunately most events we journos attend are).

Luckily for me, this one was on Nanotechnology and Surface Coating. My husband warned that it might be a little dry, but I insisted that I attend. And I'm glad I did.

The speakers were three scientists - two from universities in the US and one from Indian Institute of Science, Mumbai - who are now working with various industries in and around Vadodara. The focus of discussion - technology entrepreneurship.

Slides after slides showcased how just a few molecules of a silicon compounds (silanes) can be added to paints, polymers and plastics to increase their strength, durability or both. I noticed a few yawns while some of the students took to frantic note-taking not so much for actually making a note of the seminar's proceedings but more to keep themselves awake. (It was something we were taught by teachers in school. She'd said, "If you feel sleepy during a class, start writing down whatever is said. It'll keep you awake.)

While the seminar was mostly academic, it threw up some interesting solutions to problems that make us go grrrrrr! Here are some of them:


1. Pothole-proofing for roads: We hate the rains because of what it does to our roads. And since we do want the rains, we'll have to deal with the roads. One of the panelists suggested that if we use aminosilane (a silicon compound) to asphalt (that's what roads are made of), we'll be able to build roads that are waterproof and pothole-proof. He said, "It's commonly used abroad but no one has thought of doing it in India!"


2. Green tyres: As we look for greener options, can tyres be far behind. A slide of huge green truck tyres has caught my fancy. The scientist who showed it to us, told us, "These can do 225,000 miles before they need to be changed." Wow! 225,000 miles a single set of wheels can drastically cut down carbon-emission levels. How are they different from regular tyres? "Organosilanes." The technology is very expensive though. That's why BMW uses them!

3. Recyclable labels: I love pulling off the stickers on Coke and Pepsi bottles, much to my mom's irritation. But what do I do with those stickers? I chuck them away. This is where the 'green solution' comes in. A panelist told us he'd made recyclable labels for Coke bottles once. "We'd used adhesive-dyes on the bottles that could be washed several times without really rubbing off." When asked why Coke has gone back to stickers for labels, he said, "Recyclable labels don't make much business sense. A 25kg can can cover over a million bottles. "Unfortunately, nanotechnology doesn't sell!"