As a first-ever initiative by a steelmaker in India, Tata Steel on Tuesday commissioned a 5 tonne-per-day carbon capture unit at its Jamshedpur plant. The unit would work on technology that would directly extract carbon dioxide emissions from the blast furnace gas, in order to be reused for on-site purposes. The project has been executed with the intent to promote a circular carbon economy and has been brought to the light of the day with technological help from Carbon Clean, a global leader in low-cost CO2 capture technology.
Speaking about the process, the company stated that the carbon ‘capture and utilization’ facility works on amine-based technology and allows the captured CO2 to be reused onsite, with the depleted carbon-dioxide gas being sent back to the gas network with increased calorific value. This initiative, as the company stated, would allow the steel industry to look at the future from a sustainable point of view.
Managing Director and CEO of Tata Steel, T V Narendran, inaugurated this first-ever CCU plant in the presence of company officials and other dignitaries. Expressing his opinions about the unit, said, “For the sustainability of the steel industry globally and particularly in a growing country like India, it is essential that we find economical solutions for capturing and use of CO2 at scale.”
He further added, “As the next step, we aim to establish scaled-up facilities of CO2 capture integrated with utilisation avenues.” The operational experience that would be gathered from setting up and running this carbon capture unit would provide the company with the required data and expertise to establish larger such plants in the future.
Aniruddha Sharma, CEO, Carbon Clean, also commented on the project, “We are currently capturing 5 tonnes of CO2 per day, but following our successful demonstration, we plan to rapidly accelerate the number of carbon capture projects. Capturing CO2 from blast furnace gas will not only decarbonise the steel plants but will also open avenues for the hydrogen economy.”
In its strive to reach its larger decarbonisation goal, Tata Steel is simultaneously making efforts for both Carbon Direct Avoidance (CDA) and capturing carbon for subsequent reuse.