Context: National carrier Air India has begun the first of its “zeolite cargo flights” with the government of India having commenced the process of importing zeolite from across the world for use in medical oxygen plants.
Key highlights

• India has commenced the process of importing zeolite from across the world for use in medical oxygen plants.
• The government has appointed the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as the charterer for these consignments.

Under the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund, the DRDO is to set up medical oxygen plants.

• The medical oxygen plant technology being developed by the DRDO will help in supplementing oxygen supplies for COVID-19 patients.
• It has been done with the transfer of technology having been made to Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Bengaluru, and Trident Pneumatics Pvt. Ltd., Coimbatore.
• The technology uses the pressure swing adsorption process and molecular sieve zeolite in oxygen generation.

Zeolite

• Zeolite or molecular sieve are microporous crystalline solid of aluminium silicate.
• They have small openings of fixed size to trap large molecules, while allowing small molecules to pass through.
• Atmospheric air contains 78 % nitrogen and about 20 % oxygen and zeolites adsorb or traps nitrogen onto its surface.

Uses

• Zeolite is used in the Medical Oxygen Plant (MOP) technology, developed by DRDO for on-board oxygen generation on aircraft like Tejas.
• The technology will now be used to generate oxygen for medical purposes to battle the current oxygen shortage brought on by the Covid second wave.

Significance

• The technology will be especially useful in urban, remote and rural settings with on-site generation of medical oxygen in a cost-effective manner.
• Hospitals will be able to generate on site medical oxygen, in a cost-effective manner with this oxygen plant rather than depending upon sourcing it from other places.