India’s first CO2-to-Methanol pilot plant has been unveiled. It is situated in Thermax Limited premises in Pune, Maharashtra. The plant has a capacity of 1.4 tonnes per day and is a Public-Private -Partnership (PPP) between IIT Delhi and Thermax Limited. The project is expected to cost around Rs 310 million. It is also supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India.
The plant will demonstrate and advance indigenous carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies. To reduce carbon footprint, the plant will focus on developing new catalysts and processes for conversion of captured carbon dioxide to chemicals from both pre-combustion and post-combustion processes.
Furthermore, the feasibility and commercial viability of the plant will take place. This will be demonstrated through coal-based thermal plants. These plants are responsible for approximately 30 per cent of emissions. The observations from this project will be used to increase and scale-up commercial-scale CO2 to chemical plants. These plants will be extremely valuable in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors.
