Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a Maharatna public sector enterprise, has earned recognition through the prestigious Centre for High Technology (CHT) Innovation Award, underscoring its growing capabilities in indigenous technology development and research-driven industrial innovation.
The recognition highlights BPCL’s successful development of indigenous Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) technology, marking an important advancement in domestic manufacturing capabilities. Developed through proprietary formulations, the technology represents a significant step towards reducing dependence on imported solutions and strengthening India’s industrial ecosystem.
The innovation is particularly relevant to the hygiene products industry, where superabsorbent polymers are widely used in products that require high moisture-absorption capacity. BPCL has outlined plans to scale up the technology to an annual production capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes, potentially contributing to domestic supply and meeting rising market demand.
The award was presented at the Energy Technology Meet 2024 in Bengaluru, organised by the Centre for High Technology under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India.
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri presented the recognition to BPCL’s senior leadership, including G. Krishnakumar, Chairman and Managing Director; Sanjay Khanna, Director (Refineries); and N. Chandrashekhar, Executive Director and Head of Research and Development.
In addition to the innovation award, BPCL’s Kochi Refinery received the Eco-Refinery Award for achieving the highest reduction in specific carbon emissions, highlighting the company’s efforts to improve environmental performance alongside technological advancement.
BPCL’s research and development initiatives focus on enhancing refinery efficiency, developing advanced materials, improving process technologies and encouraging commercially viable indigenous solutions.
The company’s progress in developing proprietary technologies also reflects the broader national emphasis on strengthening domestic research capabilities and accelerating industrial innovation under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
The CHT Innovation Award recognises technological advancements that contribute to operational efficiency, industrial competitiveness and innovation across India’s petroleum and refining sector.
For BPCL, the recognition reinforces the importance of sustained investment in research and development, technology commercialisation and industry-oriented innovation.
As India’s energy and manufacturing sectors continue to evolve, indigenous technological breakthroughs such as BPCL’s SAP development demonstrate the potential of public sector enterprises to support industrial growth, strengthen domestic capabilities and advance technological self-reliance.
