United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent to the Government College University’s Nano-Fertiliser that produces healthy food and significantly increases the crop yield.
It was revealed by the Government College University (GCU) Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Khaleeq-ur-Rahman through a notification to the university’s academic and administrative heads, including Director, Research Innovation and Commercialisation, who will forward it to the country’s leading fertiliser industries for future collaboration.
The ‘Nano-Leucite Fertiliser’ invented by a group of GCU young scientists led by Dr Muhammad Akhyar Farrukh, an associate professor of Chemistry, is a revolution for green environment as it ensures minimum nutrient loss in food and increases overall production.
Prof Rahman said keeping in view the global food crisis, it is necessary to increase the food production. ‘Fertilisers which are in practice now have a major disadvantage that 50 percent of nutrient contents loss due to leaching and also leads to ground water contamination. He said Nano-Leucite Fertilizer, invented by the GCU scientists, is a specialised slow release nitrogenous fertiliser in which they had a minimum nutrient loss due to leaching.
To be more scientific, he said Potassium Aluminum Silicate (Leucite) nano-particles occluded by calcium ammonium nitrates were slow release fertilisers and were synthesised by hydrothermal method. The VC said stage had come at GCU where young scientists were talking about innovations and inventions. However, he said, there was dire need that these innovations and inventions were transformed into technology by the industry, so that Pakistan could develop and emerge on the world map as prosperous nation. He proudly said Dr Farrukh, representing GCU, got third US patent to his credit.
Prof Rahman expressed gratitude to Higher Education Commission (HEC) for their support for registering the patent at international level.