This Tuesday, Tata Steel commissioned its first Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) plant at its Jamshedpur Works’ site. Established with the help of Carbon Clean, the Five-tonnes-per day (TPD) plant will extract carbon dioxide directly from the blast furnace gas to re-use it on site.
Tata Steel has become the first steel company in India to adopt a CCU facility that will aid the country in its path towards decarbonization. T V Narendran, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Steel inaugurated the plant.
The company has adopted a two-pronged approach, including Carbon Direct Avoidance (CDA) and CO2 capture and use. The Carbon Capture and Utilization facility employ amine-based technology to make the carbon dioxide captured from the blast furnace gas available for re-use.
A company spokesperson explained that the collected and depleted carbon dioxide gas would be pumped back to the gas network with increased calorific value.
The plant, which captures five tonnes per day, will help the company regulate at least 1500 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually by re-using it onsite.
The company anticipates reducing carbon dioxide emissions significantly by promoting a circular global economy. The company can determine the value of cost optimization only after a few months of the plant’s functioning.
Technological Support From Carbon Clean, a Global Leader in The Tech
The initiative received technological and logistical support from a company named Carbon Clean. The company CEO, Aniruddha Sharma, expressed his delight in working with Tata Steel.
The firm is a global leader in low-cost carbon capture, utilization and storage technology. Sharma said that in the face of the plant’s successful functioning, they plan to “rapidly accelerate the number of CCU projects”.
He added that in addition to helping to decarbonize the steel plants, CCU would pave the path to a hydrogen economy.
Strategic Step Towards Decarbonization, Says TATA Steel Ceo
The CEO and Managing director of the steel company, T V Narendran inaugurated the plant in the presence of workers and other dignitaries this Tuesday.
In his speech, he reiterated his commitment to remaining an industry leader in sustainability by setting new benchmarks. He emphasized the importance of decarbonization technology in the sustainability of the steel industry globally and especially in developing countries like India.
“Leadership in mitigating emissions, accessing low-cost clean-energy, and providing circular economy solutions will define the steel industry’s journey forward,” he added.
Tata Steel aims to further its decarbonization project with the help of the required data extracted from its first CCU plant. The company will utilize the operational experience gained in this initiative to establish larger plants in the future.
“We will establish scaled up facilities of C02 capture integrated with utilization avenues,” Narendran concluded.
Another Feat in The Company’s Path To Sustainability
Earlier in September 2020, Tata Steel had collaborated with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in the initiative of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage to help the country meet its decarbonization goals in the Paris Climate Accord of 2015.
The company, a member of ResponsibleSteelTM, has invested in harnessing clean and renewable energy and steel-recycling initiatives. It is also a part of initiatives that aims to generate and use Green Hydrogen.
According to a company spokesperson, all these projects aim to reduce carbon emissions, resource consumption and energy utilization in alignment with the company’s pioneering values.
