Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

Tata Steel commissions India’s first CO2 capture plant at Jamshedpur

September 15, 2021
tata steel

Tata Steel on Tuesday commissioned a 5 tonne per day (TPD) carbon capture plant at Jamshedpur, making it the country’s first steel company to adopt such a carbon capture technology that extracts carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the blast furnace. Tata Steel will reuse the captured CO2 on-site to promote a circular carbon economy.

This Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) facility uses amine-based technology and makes the captured carbon available for onsite reuse. Depleted CO2 gas is sent back to the network with increased calorific value. The project was executed with technological support from Carbon Clean, a global leader in low-cost carbon dioxide capture technology.

Tata Steel managing director T.V. Narendran, 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.”

“The operational experience gathered from this 5-T a day CO2 capture plant will give us the required data and confidence to establish larger carbon capture plants in future. As the next step, we aim to establish scaled up facilities of CO2 capture integrated with utilisation avenues,” he added.

Tata Steel has undertaken a two-pronged approach of Carbon Direct Avoidance (CDA) and CO2 capture and uses in pursuit of the decarbonisation goal.

Aniruddha Sharma, CEO, Carbon Clean said capturing CO2 from blast furnace gas would not only decarbonise steel plants but also open avenues for the hydrogen economy.

In September 2020, Tata Steel had joined hands with the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) to work in the field of Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS), to build a strong ecosystem in the country for meeting the decarbonisation commitments under the Paris Agreement.