ArcelorMittal has selected three start-ups as the joint winners of its inaugural XCarb India Accelerator Program.

The three winners are UrjanovaC, AgroMorph Technosolutions and Susstains Engineering Solutions. Each company will receive $50,000 as prize money and will be mentored to develop technologies and business models.

The winners:

UrjanovaC :
The enterprise is developing a carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology to support the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors including steel. The technology uses a patented catalyst and wastewater to convert industrial CO2 emissions from flue gas into useful by-products like PCC and soda ash. These applications are applicable in various industries.

Prof. Vikram Vishal, Director & Co-Founder, UrjanovaC, said, “Our sustainable, practical, low-cost, and scalable decarbonization technology based on a patented catalytic process captures CO2 from air as well as emission gases and stores it permanently as carbonate salts. The team at UrjanovaC envisions translating net-zero pledges into reality through rapid deployment and is thrilled about the upcoming partnerships across borders and sectors.”

AgroMorph TechnoSolutions:
The company is creating a modular, algae-based CCUS system designed to remove carbon from industrial flue gases and absorb nutrients from wastewater. The process provides a sustainable method for carbon capture through natural photosynthesis, reducing the use of chemicals and providing a diverse range of nutrient-rich algae-based products.

Dr. Akanksha Agarwal, Founding Director, AgroMorph Technosolutions, said, “The program offered a great opportunity for AgroMorph as it helped us explore decarbonization challenges via algae. It provided in-depth understanding and perspectives of the steel industry, which is a great value-add for start-ups.”

Susstains Engineering Solutions:
The start-up founded by IIT Madras PhD students, is developing biochar technology for the steel industry. The technology utilizes biomass carbonization methods to enhance the yield, productivity, and quality of biochar produced.

Dr. Muthu Kumar, Founder, Susstains Engineering Solutions, added, “The program was a great opportunity, as it helped us understand the potential use of biochar in the steel industry. The AM/NS India facility’s testing of biochar samples provided confidence that with fine-tuning, our biochar could potentially replace coal.”

Partners:

GDC-IIT Madras, and SINE-IIT Bombay partnered with ArcelorMittal for the program.

Irina Gorbounova, Head, XCarb Innovation Fund, said, “The last 11 months provided us great insight into the start-up landscape of India and the opportunities it presents. It was a pleasure collaborating with IIT Madras and we look forward to continued engagement them.”