Dr. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, laid the foundation stone for India’s first of its kind CO2 to methanol pilot plant with an overall capacity of 1.4 tons per day (TPD) at Thermax Limited premises in Pune, Maharashtra.
The unveiling was done in the presence of Dr. Anita Gupta, Adviser and Head, Dr. Neelima Alam, Associate Head, and other officers of the Climate, Energy and Sustainable Technology (CEST) division, DST.
The pioneering project, supported by DST, Ministry of Science and Technology is to be implemented in collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Thermax Limited, Pune, under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, with an overall cost of approximately ₹31 crore.
The pilot plant will serve as a pioneering platform for the demonstration and advancement of indigenous Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) cutting-edge technologies, marking a significant step towards India’s Panchamrit declaration. The Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) office and NITI Aayog recently recommended the creation of a National Mission on CCUS.
NITI Aayog and the ministry of petroleum are working on a policy for the introduction of 15% methanol-blended diesel, which will help substantially reduce the import of crude oil.
He stated that DST is leading the way in CCUS research and development through both national and bilateral/multilateral engagements, such as Mission Innovation (MI), ACT (Accelerating CCUS Technology), and CETP (Clean Energy Transition Programs), among others.
It has consistently contributed to the establishment of a robust ecosystem in the country and has already set up three CCUS National Centers of Excellence (CoE) involving various premier institutes across the nation. He further informed that the current initiative is another step towards fostering technological self-reliance in methanol production in India.
Dr. Gupta informed that this consortium project in PPP mode between IIT Delhi and Thermax Limited will serve as a first of its kind CCU living lab, focussing on the development of new catalysts and processes for conversion of captured CO2 to chemicals from both pre-combustion and post-combustion processes, thereby, reducing CO2 footprint.
Additionally, a comprehensive techno-economic analysis will assess the feasibility and commercial viability of the CO2-to-methanol conversion process, demonstrating decarbonisation in the coal-based thermal sector, which accounts for approximately 30% of emissions.
As per the press release, the findings will offer valuable insights for scaling up to commercial-scale CO2 to chemical plants. This will also help spearhead an initiative aimed at developing indigenous technologies and decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors.
