Pune: The National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) along with its Venture Centre incubated startup Genrich Membrane has tied up with the 'Bharat Electronics Ltd' (BEL) company to manufacture the 'Oxygen Enrichment Units' (OEU) which provide 35 to 40 per cent oxygen concentration from air and helps faster recovery of Covid-19 affected patients. So far, 10 units have been manufactured in record time while plans to manufacture another 100 units are in place.
Oxygen enrichment units have special significance in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The OEU's can help with faster patient recovery with supplemental oxygen in the early stages. It can reduce the number of patients who will need ventilators. Post-ventilator treatment patients can also be served with these units, thus reducing demand for oxygen cylinders. The portability of OEU makes it convenient for using such units in-home care, villages and remote places.
Genrich Membranes is a 'spin-off' company, based on proprietary technology licensed from NCL. It is being funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to scale up membrane oxygenator equipment (MOE) that it has developed to treat COVID-19 patients. A team of scientists led by Dr Ulhas Kharul - founder of Genrich Membranes and who is also the Head of Polymer Science and Engineering Division of NCL - has demonstrated the use of hollow fibre membranes to enrich oxygen. The OEU developed by Dr Kharuls team is efficient in providing 35 to 40 per cent oxygen concentration from the air with an adjustable flow rate of 0.5-15 litre per minute. Atmospheric air at 5-6 bar pressure is passed through the membrane cartridge wherein the oxygen preferentially permeates through the membrane, due to intrinsic higher sorption capacity of oxygen into the membrane matrix. The technology was licensed to Genrich Membranes and about 50 units were assembled and demonstrated in various forums, hospitals and primary health centres.
Dr Kharul said, "With the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, NCL applied for certification of a prototype OEU to TUV, Bangalore, which was found to be qualified. Overcoming several hurdles right from material supply to availability of manpower, NCL and Genrich Membranes quickly assembled three units during the lockdown period. Naidu Hospital at Pune is testing these units for treating mildly hypoxic COVID-19 patients for more than a month."
K Rajendra, General Manager, BEL said, "Looking at the emerging medical crisis, BEL took this project on a war footing and has manufactured 10 units in record time and that too with a skeletal workforce. BEL has plans to manufacture another 100 units and supply in hospitals to meet the critical requirement."
WHY OXYGEN ENRICHMENT UNITS ARE IMPORTANT
Oxygen is required in a higher concentration for oxygen therapy in hospitals. It can be as high as 90 per cent for Intensive Care Units (ICU) and Operation Theatres. For treating patients with lung diseases like COPD or Asthma, 27 to 35 per cent oxygen is required in breathing air. Normal air has 21 per cent oxygen content. Cryogenic technology at minus 200 degree Celsius and pressure swing absorption to elevate oxygen content in the air are expensive, making oxygen enrichment devices unaffordable, said Dr Kharul.