A revolution in the kitchen

WHAT’S TECHNOLOGY developed by Russian space scientists got to do with your kitchen? Plenty, because high-tech polymers, once the mainstay of cryogenic fuel tanks, are now being used to make gas cylinders. Anil Jain, CEO of Time Technoplast, a Rs 1,100 crore company that plans to launch these new cylinders next year—and hopes to replace the steel cylinders of today—anticipates far-reaching impact. Jain spent Rs 25 crore in 2009 to acquire Kompozit-Praha, a Czech outfit that makes polymer cylinders. He’s got a big market—150 million cylinders are in circulation today, and 12 million are added every year. Jain says the new cylinders could be the safest yet. They can withstand three times more pressure than steel ones—they may crack or leak, but won’t explode. Then there are energy savings. It takes 1.1 kg of steel and 650 grams of plastic to hold a kilo of gas. So, a nine-tonne delivery truck will be able to carry 12% more gas per litre of diesel used. But, you may have to pay more in deposits and refills. “We haven’t decided on pricing but we won’t offer subsidies that came with steel cylinders,” says a Bharat Petroleum official.