PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Sept 15: A five tonnes per day (TPD) carbon capture plant became operational at Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur works this morning, making it the country’s first steel company to adopt such a carbon capture technology that extracts carbon-di-oxide ( CO2) directly from the blast furnace gas.
Tata Steel will reuse the captured CO2 on-site to promote the circular carbon economy.
This Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) facility uses a technology that makes the captured carbon available for onsite reuse.
The depleted CO2 gas is sent back to the gas network with increased calorific value.
This project has been executed with technological support from Carbon Clean, a global leader in low-cost CO2 capture technology.
T. V. Narendran, CEO and managing director, Tata Steel said, “In alignment with the Tata group’s pioneering values, we have taken this strategic step in our journey towards decarbonisation. We will continue our quest to remain an industry leader in sustainability by setting new benchmarks for a better tomorrow. 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. Leadership in mitigating emissions, accessing low-cost clean energy, and providing circular economy solutions will define our sector’s journey going forward.”
He went on to say that the operational experience gathered from this five tonnes per day CO2 capture plant will give the required data and confidence to establish larger carbon capture plants in the future.
Tata Steel continues to pursue its goal to be the industry leader in sustainability by reducing its CO2 emission intensity and specific freshwater consumption, developing a sustainable supply chain, and contributing towards the future circular economy.
Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) is a key lever in the fight against climate change and global warming. The ‘Tata Steel – Carbon Clean’ collaboration in the CCU field is a timely initiative and a step towards a sustainable tomorrow.
Over the past few years, Tata Steel has invested in multiple initiatives in harnessing clean and renewable energy, generation and use of green hydrogen and adopting waste heat recovery technologies.
Tata Steel is a member of ResponsibleSteel, the industry’s first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative, to further its sustainability goals.
The steel major has also made progress in its steel recycling business initiative, which is a definitive step towards sustainable steel production.
The company has set up its first steel recycling plant at Rohtak in Haryana which will enable lower carbon emissions, resource consumption and energy utilisation.
In September 2020, Tata Steel had joined hands with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to work in the field of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), to build a strong ecosystem in the country for meeting the decarbonisation commitments under the Paris Agreement.