Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham faculty members, Dr. Murali Rangarajan (Associate Professor), Dr. Thirugnasambandam G. Manivasagam (Assistant Professor) and Dr. Mahendra Nandanwar (Assistant Professor) at the Center for Excellence in Advanced Materials & Green Technologies (COE-AMGT), Coimbatore campus, was awarded a grant of Rs. 37.24 lakhs from the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, for developing a novel electrochemical packed bed reactor technology for removing heavy metals from water.

Pollution of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and copper has caused severe and long-term damages to the environment and life forms, including humans. Heavy metals such as lead and cadmium have biological half-lives of over 20 years. Their acceptable limits in potable water as per WHO standards are in tens of ppb (parts per billion). Removing them from industrial effluents and groundwater to the very low concentrations of parts per billion is a major challenge. With its very large area and potential for high throughputs, this technology is expected to perform at very high efficiencies needed to achieve the desired removal of heavy metals.

The Center of Excellence in Advanced Materials and Green Technologies (COE-AMGT), established in May 2013, is engaged in research and development activities in the broad areas encompassing the individual developments in, or an integration of, advanced materials and green technologies based on material synthesis, material characterization, material modification, and innovative methodologies of application.