A breakthrough make useful products out of planet-heating CO
2 emissions has been attained.
A plant at the S. Indian industrial port of Tuticorin is capturing CO
2 from its own coal-powered boiler.
It is using it to make soda ash or baking powder.
The technology is running without subsidy which is a major advancement for carbon capture technology.
Firm says chemicals will lock up to 60 thousand tonnes of CO
2 per year.
Tuticorin plant is the first industrial scale example of CCU/carbon capture and utilisation.
This expands the market for CO
2 as a chemical raw material.
Stripping CO
2 from low concentrations in flue gas was tough.
Indian plant called Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals uses a new CO
2 stripping chemical developed by IIT investors at Carbonclean.
Less energy is required for this carbon capture technology which is less corrossive and requires smaller equipment.
The soda ash is a base chemical with a wide range of uses including glass manufacture, sweeteners, detergents and paper products.
Carbonclean believes capturing usable CO
2 can deal with perhaps 5-10% of the world’s emissions from coal.
By producing a subsidy-free carbon utilisation project, Carbonclean has made rapid strides in CCU technology.
