Build Products. Build India. Chemical Engineering Workshop

Students are not students.

They become

• ISRO Scientists
• IOCL Researchers
• DRDO Engineers
• Reliance R&D Team
• Tata Chemicals Innovation Team
• Indian Startup Founders

Activity 1 (The Best Activity)

THE ₹10,000 CRORE CHALLENGE

Duration : 90 minutes

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Your team has been appointed by the Government of India.

India imports : ₹10,000 Crores worth of chemical products every year.

Your mission : Reduce imports by 20% within 5 years.

How?

"India imports everything."

to

"India already has a strong chemical manufacturing base. The opportunity is to identify the remaining gaps, improve quality, develop niche products, and compete globally."

As an HR Director of a large manufacturing conglomerate, I would tell students:

"Don't reinvent products that India already manufactures efficiently. Find the specialty products, high-performance materials, or technologies where there is still room for innovation."

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India's Strength in Chemical Manufacturing

India is among the top six chemical producers globally and is a major exporter of:

• Dyes and pigments
• Agrochemicals
• Pharmaceuticals and APIs
• Specialty chemicals
• Surfactants
• Organic chemicals
• Inorganic chemicals
• Petrochemicals
• Paint raw materials

Yet India still imports many high-value specialty chemicals, advanced materials, and electronic chemicals.

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Comparison Table

Product Category	Imported?	Manufactured in India?	Opportunity
Sulphuric Acid	Small quantity	✅ Yes	Already mature
Hydrochloric Acid	Small quantity	✅ Yes	Commodity chemical
Caustic Soda	Yes	✅ Yes	Capacity expansion & energy efficiency
Sodium Hypochlorite	Limited	✅ Yes	Water treatment
Hydrogen Peroxide	Yes	✅ Yes	Process optimization
Nitric Acid	Yes	✅ Yes	Fertilizer & explosives
Methanol	Significant	⚠️ Limited production	Green methanol opportunity
Ethanol	Yes	✅ Yes	Bio-based expansion
Acetone	Yes	✅ Yes	Increase domestic capacity
Isopropyl Alcohol	Yes	✅ Yes	Pharmaceutical growth
Acetic Acid	Large imports	⚠️ Limited	Major opportunity
Formaldehyde	Limited	✅ Yes	Mature industry
Phenol	Yes	⚠️ Partial	Expand production
Toluene	Yes	✅ Yes	Petrochemical integration
Xylene	Yes	✅ Yes	Capacity and purity
Industrial Solvents	Yes	✅ Yes	Specialty grades

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Lubricants

Product	Imported	Manufactured in India
Engine Oil	Small quantity	✅ Yes
Hydraulic Oil	Small quantity	✅ Yes
Transformer Oil	Small quantity	✅ Yes
Industrial Grease	Small quantity	✅ Yes
Marine Lubricants	Some specialty grades	✅ Yes
Food Grade Lubricants	Significant specialty imports	⚠️ Limited
Synthetic Lubricants	Significant	⚠️ Growing
High Temperature Grease	Significant	⚠️ Opportunity
Aerospace Lubricants	Mostly imported	❌ Niche opportunity

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Water Treatment Chemicals

Product	India Manufactures
Alum	✅ Yes
PAC	✅ Yes
Chlorine	✅ Yes
Sodium Hypochlorite	✅ Yes
Activated Carbon	✅ Yes
Lime	✅ Yes
RO Chemicals	⚠️ Partial
Membranes	⚠️ Limited
Specialty Resins	⚠️ Significant imports

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Paint & Coating Chemicals

Product	India
Titanium Dioxide	⚠️ Partial production
Pigments	✅ Yes
Resins	✅ Yes
Hardeners	✅ Yes
Epoxy Systems	✅ Yes
Specialty Coatings	⚠️ Growing
Nano Coatings	⚠️ Emerging

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Pharmaceutical Chemicals

Product	Status
APIs	✅ Major producer
Excipients	✅ Strong
Specialty Intermediates	⚠️ Growing
High-end Biochemicals	⚠️ Limited
Advanced Bioprocess Chemicals	Opportunity

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Petrochemicals

Product	India
Polyethylene	✅ Yes
Polypropylene	✅ Yes
PVC	✅ Yes
HDPE	✅ Yes
LDPE	✅ Yes
EVA	⚠️ Partial
Engineering Plastics	⚠️ Large imports
High Performance Polymers	Opportunity

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Electronic Chemicals

This is where India still has major opportunities.

Product	India
Semiconductor Chemicals	Mostly imported
High Purity Acids	Limited
Photoresists	Imported
CMP Slurries	Imported
Wafer Chemicals	Imported
Specialty Solvents	Partial

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Battery Materials

Product	India
Lithium Carbonate	Mostly imported
Graphite	Partial
Electrolytes	Limited
Cathode Materials	Mostly imported
Anode Materials	Mostly imported
Separator Films	Mostly imported
Battery Recycling	Growing rapidly

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Specialty Chemicals

Product	Status
Industrial Enzymes	Growing
Catalysts	Partial
Oilfield Chemicals	Growing
Corrosion Inhibitors	Growing
Demulsifiers	Partial
Scale Inhibitors	Growing
Defoamers	Growing
Specialty Surfactants	Strong opportunity

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High-Opportunity Areas for Students

Rather than competing in mature commodity markets, students can focus on:

Area	Why It Matters
Bio-based lubricants	Sustainability and agriculture
Green solvents	Lower environmental impact
Water treatment chemicals	Infrastructure demand
Battery recycling	EV growth
Industrial cleaning chemicals	Manufacturing expansion
Corrosion inhibitors	Oil & Gas, marine, infrastructure
Food-grade lubricants	Food processing industry
Specialty coatings	Renewable energy, automotive
Electronic chemicals	Semiconductor ecosystem
Hydrogen technologies	Energy transition

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Industries That Already Manufacture These Products in India

Students often think only multinational companies produce chemicals. In reality, India has a broad industrial base.

Sector	Representative Indian Companies
Petrochemicals	Reliance Industries, Indian Oil, GAIL
Specialty Chemicals	Aarti Industries, Atul Ltd., SRF
Agrochemicals	UPL, PI Industries
Paint Chemicals	Asian Paints, Berger Paints, Kansai Nerolac
Lubricants	Indian Oil (Servo), Bharat Petroleum (MAK), Hindustan Petroleum (HP Lubricants), Gulf Oil Lubricants India
Water Treatment	Thermax, Ion Exchange (India), VA Tech WABAG
Pharmaceuticals	Dr. Reddy's, Sun Pharma, Aurobindo Pharma, Divi's Laboratories
Industrial Gases	Linde India, INOX Air Products

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Strategic Message for Students

Instead of saying:

"Let's manufacture Harpic."

Teach them to ask:

• Can we make a better toilet cleaner using greener chemistry?
• Can we formulate a biodegradable industrial degreaser?
• Can we improve the performance of food-grade lubricants?
• Can we reduce the cost of battery recycling chemicals?
• Can we develop advanced water treatment formulations for Indian conditions?

That shift—from copying products to solving problems—is what creates successful engineers and entrepreneurs.

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As an HR Director, my thoughts:

India does not need another thousand companies making ordinary chemicals. India needs engineers who can develop the next generation of specialty chemicals, sustainable materials, high-performance lubricants, advanced coatings, and electronic chemicals that meet global standards.

Your opportunity is not in replacing every import. Your opportunity is in identifying the products where India still depends on external technology or specialized formulations, then building the knowledge, partnerships, and innovation needed to close those gaps. That is where the future of chemical engineering lies.

Courtesy: https://www.voronoiapp.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.voronoiapp.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd57a4f53-ff39-4ec9-8a01-d34f4106c467.webp&w=3840&q=85

Courtesy: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HDBajQ9bUAAs5xd.jpg

"Don't ask where the jobs are. Ask where India is spending billions of dollars importing products that Indian engineers can one day manufacture competitively."

The objective is not to replace imports overnight. Import substitution must be economically viable, technically feasible, environmentally responsible, and globally competitive. Simply making a product locally does not guarantee success; it must meet quality, cost, and regulatory requirements.

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Phase 1 – Identify What India Imports

The first step is to understand the import landscape using official Government of India data.

Government Repository	Purpose	Best Use
TRADESTAT (Department of Commerce)	Commodity-wise, HS Code-wise, Country-wise import/export statistics	Identify products imported from China, Korea, Europe, USA, Gulf countries and their annual value
Open Government Data (data.gov.in) – Import of Major Chemicals	Product-wise and group-wise import data for major chemicals	Analyze long-term chemical import trends
DGCI&S – Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence & Statistics	Official trade statistics down to ITC-HS commodity classifications	Deep market and trade analysis
ICEGATE Trade Guide on Imports	Customs tariff, HS code, import duty and compliance	Understand duties, tariff structure and import regulations
National Government Services Portal – Imports & Exports	Gateway to multiple trade-related government services	Regulatory and compliance information

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Phase 2 – Build an Engineering Import Intelligence Matrix

Every student project should begin with this table.

Product	HS Code	Importing Country	Annual Import Value	Indian Manufacturers	Import Dependency	Opportunity
Industrial Lubricant	XXXX	Korea	₹XXX Cr	Limited	Medium	Improve formulation
Battery Electrolyte	XXXX	China	₹XXX Cr	Growing	High	R&D opportunity
Specialty Catalyst	XXXX	Germany	₹XXX Cr	Few	High	Academic research
Water Treatment Chemical	XXXX	USA	₹XXX Cr	Several	Medium	Process optimization

Students learn to think like market analysts and process engineers, not just laboratory researchers.

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Phase 3 – Understand Why India Imports

A useful classroom exercise is to ask students to investigate why a product is imported.

Possible Reason	Engineering Question
Technology gap	Can we develop the technology?
No domestic manufacturer	Can Indian industry produce it competitively?
Patent protection	Can we innovate around the problem legally?
Better quality overseas	What performance gap exists?
Lower production cost abroad	Can we improve productivity or scale?
Lack of raw materials	Are there alternative feedstocks?
Environmental restrictions	Can greener processes help?
Low domestic demand	Is there a viable market?

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Phase 4 – Engineering Opportunity Canvas

Every student team should complete an opportunity canvas.

Question	Student Response
What product is imported?
Which countries supply it?
Why is it imported?
Can India manufacture it?
Required raw materials?
Required technology?
Existing Indian competitors?
Estimated market size?
Sustainability considerations?
Business opportunity?

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Phase 5 – Focus on Strategic Categories

Rather than chasing every imported item, concentrate on areas where chemical engineers can add value.

Category	Example Opportunities
Specialty chemicals	Process intensification, cleaner synthesis
Industrial lubricants	Bio-based and high-performance formulations
Water treatment chemicals	Advanced coagulants, membranes, scale inhibitors
Electronic chemicals	High-purity process chemicals
Battery materials	Safer electrolytes, recycling technologies
Green solvents	Sustainable industrial chemistry
Catalysts	Improved efficiency and longer life
Heat transfer fluids	Renewable energy and industrial heating
Food processing chemicals	Safe processing aids
Pharmaceutical intermediates	Process improvements and localization

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Phase 6 – Four-Level Innovation Strategy

Level	Student Capability
Level 1	Understand how the product works
Level 2	Improve an existing process or formulation
Level 3	Develop a laboratory-scale prototype
Level 4	Work toward commercialization through incubation and industry partnerships

This progression is far more realistic than expecting students to immediately replace imported products.

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Phase 7 – National Innovation Framework

Observe Imports

        ↓

Understand Market

        ↓

Study Technology

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Research Alternatives

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Develop Prototype

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Pilot Manufacturing

        ↓

Commercial Production

        ↓

Export Globally

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Student Assignment

Give every team one country.

Team	Country
Team A	China
Team B	South Korea
Team C	Japan
Team D	Germany
Team E	USA
Team F	UAE / Saudi Arabia
Team G	Singapore
Team H	Netherlands

Their task:

1. Identify the top chemical-related imports from that country.
2. Estimate the market size using official trade statistics.
3. Identify whether Indian manufacturers already exist.
4. Determine why imports continue.
5. Suggest one realistic research or manufacturing opportunity.

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Industry Research Framework

Every research project should answer:

Question	Why It Matters
Is there demand?	Market viability
Is technology accessible?	Feasibility
Are raw materials available?	Supply chain resilience
Can it be produced sustainably?	Environmental compliance
Can it compete on quality?	Customer acceptance
Can it compete on cost?	Commercial success
Can it meet regulations?	Market access

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HR Director's Message

India does not become self-reliant because imports stop. India becomes stronger when its engineers create products that customers willingly choose because they are innovative, reliable, affordable, and globally competitive.

Your mission as a chemical engineer is not merely to replace imports—it is to create better products, cleaner processes, stronger industries, and globally respected Indian technologies.

Capstone Project: "Mission Import-to-Innovation"

Each team adopts one imported chemical product category and prepares an "Import-to-Innovation Dossier" containing:

• Official import data (using TRADESTAT and DGCI&S)
• Supplier countries
• Indian demand and application sectors
• Existing domestic manufacturers
• Technology gaps
• Environmental and safety considerations
• Prototype or process improvement concept
• Commercialization roadmap
• Government support schemes and incubation options
• Five-year research and start-up plan

This transforms students from passive learners into technology scouts, innovation researchers, and future entrepreneurs, while grounding every proposal in verified government trade data rather than assumptions.

Fun Time - Quiz

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