Covestro, a global leader in polymer materials, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), a leading research school of chemical technology. The MOU is aimed at finding innovative solutions that can serve as driving forces and contribute significantly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Under the agreement, the scope of the study will cover the heating and insulation of open poultry sheds and improvements in the production process to produce flame retardant PU and PU-PCM for refrigeration.

This MOU aims to build scientific and technical knowledge through joint research and to apply the results of the research to a wide range of industries.

It will facilitate the development of polymer-based PCM materials that can replace inefficient and energy-intensive components.

The MOU was exchanged between Mr. Ajay Durrani, Managing Director of Covestro India, Dr. Thomas Toepfer, Chief Financial Officer of Covestro AG, and Prof. G. D. Yadav, Vice-Chancellor, Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), In which both Covestro and the Institute of Chemical Technology look forward to the collaboration and opportunities.

During the announcement, Mr. Ajay Durrani, Managing Director of Covestro India, said, "We believe that through this partnership, we are able to conduct ground-breaking research that will enable us to find sustainable solutions through the large-scale application of multifunctional materials. We are certain that these research-based applications will help us provide solutions to India's food safety issues and help enable smarter and safer transportation, thereby contributing to the economic and social development of the country."

Dr. Thomas Toepfer, Chief Financial Officer of Covestro, said: "In line with our commitment, we will allocate 80% of our R&D programme spending to meet the SDG challenges by 2025. At the same time, we will further increase our investments, which will benefit India and a number of other countries while creating value. We look forward to taking advantage of these opportunities in India and the Asia-Pacific region to make the future of the world brighter." Professor G.D. Yadav, Deputy Director, Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT),

, said: "We are delighted to collaborate with Covestro on research projects that will provide students with opportunities to develop practical solutions to India's food security and national security issues."

India has about 6,300 cold storage facilities with a capacity of 30.11 million tonnes, which can only store about 11 per cent of the country's total perishable products. This creates a huge gap between agricultural production and storage. India wastes 40 percent of its total agricultural output. These cold storage units and poultry sheds use electricity and diesel to maintain temperatures, leading to overuse of energy and fossil fuels and adversely affecting the environment. Researching the materials that can be used in cold storage and poultry sheds will not only maintain the desired temperature, but also help reduce the carbon footprint, which will make a huge difference.

Flame-retardant polyurethane is a high value-added polyurethane, and a flame retardant is a chemical that is added to combustible materials to make them more flame-retardant. They are designed to minimize the risk of fire when exposed to small heat sources, such as cigarettes, candles, or electrical failures. The acceleration of urbanization has brought about an increase in luxury bus, subway, train seats and other transportation services, providing good opportunities for the application of flexible FR-PU, thus making people's travel safer.

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