Nalco, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre collaboration develops India’s 1st Bauxite CRM

The Indian state-owned integrated aluminium company, National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), has successfully developed a Bauxite Certified Reference Material (CRM) naming as BARC B1201 in collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

BARC is a multi-disciplinary research centre with extensive infrastructure for advanced research and development covering the entire spectrum of nuclear science, chemical engineering, material sciences and metallurgy, electronic instrumentation, biology and medicine, supercomputing, high-energy physics and plasma physics and associated research for Indian nuclear programme and related areas.

The CRM developed by the two premier Govt. of India organizations is the first of its kind in India and the fifth in the world. For several years, the two organisations collaborated to develop the CRM, which included extensive testing and analysis of bauxite samples from various regions of India.

On March 24, 2023, BARC B1201 was formally introduced, at the NALCO Research & Technology Center, Bhubaneswar, by Director (P&T) MP Mishra of NALCO and Head of Division Dr AC Sahayam of the National Centre for Compositional Characterisation of Materials.

The CRM will serve as a standard for bauxite testing and analysis, ensuring greater accuracy and consistency in testing. It exemplifies India's commitment to building a robust and dependable testing infrastructure for critical raw materials, which is critical for the country's economic growth and development.

Sridhar Patra, the CMD of Nalco, expressed gratitude and praise for the entire group that worked on this product, saying, “The collaboration with BARC has resulted in developing this unique product required by our research laboratories. This achievement will inspire the researchers for further innovation and add value to the cherished vision of self-reliance and the Make in India Initiative.”

The National Centre for Certified Reference Materials (NCCRM), a division of India's National Physical Laboratory, has certified the bauxite CRM (NPL). The certification process included extensive testing and analysis to ensure the CRM meets the highest accuracy and reliability standards.