The state may strike it rich if the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) succeeds in its efforts in evolving a process for exploring fullerenes, commonly known as C-60 and associated with barytes, from the mines at Mangampeta in Kadapa district.
The product is used for defence purposes and makes solar cells more efficient. Besides, it can make missiles invisible to radars.
According to studies, about 100 million tonne of fullerene deposits are estimated to be present in the Mangampeta barytes project, the world's largest barytes deposit with about 74 million tonne.
“In the international market, a gram of fine grade fullerene fetches $500-2,000. But it is too early to calculate the value of the deposits as we do not have the exploration techniques. It is also not clear what will be the percantage of fullerene after exploration and processing. We will seek international help for tapping the fullerene resource,” said vice-chairman and managing director of the state government undertaking VD Rajagopal.
APMDC, through its Development of Mineral Resources and Technology Upgradation Fund set up to promote research and investigations in mineral explorations, has awarded a research programme on fullerenes to the Osmania University, he said.
It has entered into MoUs with three mining companies – Trimax, IBC and Gimpex – for setting up three barytes plants in the area, each at a cost of Rs 30 crore. Traditionally, barytes, which are used in paint and oil drilling industries, with a specific gravity of less than 4 are classified as C Grade. At the behest of APMDC, National Mineral Laboratories has evolved a procedure to enhance the quality of barytes mined in Mangampeta. These plants will follow special procedures to convert the C Grade material into commercial B and A grades by increasing its specific gravity.
The corporation is also upbeat about the gushing gas in Tadipatri in Anantapur. Here too, the trust has engaged Osmania University for carrying out a study in the region. Though, oil majors have dismissed this as a superficial phenomenon, the trust has recommended that the APMDC conduct exploration. “It is early to say if the gushing indicates any deposits. But we would like to carry out drilling to a depth of 1,000 m before arriving at a conclusion,” Rajagopal said without specifying a time frame for it.
Among others, APMDC is also looking to set up ‘benefication’ plants in Kadapa, Khammam and Kurnool for increasing the ferrous content in the iron ore from 50 per cent to 65 per cent to make the ore commercially viable.
The corporation is funding research on using shale (a kind of sedimentary rock) in the ceramic industry, increasing the utility of granite and limestone waste and exploring the possibilities of dolostone (which contains phosphate) used by the fertiliser industry.
For 2008-09, APMDC is targeting a revenue of Rs 2,187 crore as against Rs 1,600 crore earned last year. Till July, it registered a revenue of Rs 568 crore as compared with Rs 391 in the corresponding period last year.
