The steel industry in India is tapping a new energy-efficient carbon dioxide capture technology to promote a circular economy.
The capture and conversion of emitted CO2 into CO can lead to a circular economy, reducing the carbon footprint and associated costs
The technology converts CO2 to CO, under electro catalytic conditions under ambient temperatures in the presence of water.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a widely used chemical in the industry especially in the form of syn gas. In the steel industry, CO is an essential ingredient for converting iron ores to metallic iron in blast furnaces. IIT Bombay’s National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization (NCoE-CCU) developed a process that generates CO2 through partial oxidation of coke/coal.
The process:
The CO2 to CO conversion process commonly occurs at elevated temperatures (400-750°C). This requires an equal amount of H2 to accelerate, making it an energy-intensive process.
NCoE-CCU’s electrocatalysis process requires minimal energy and can operate under ambient temperatures. It utilizes renewable energy sources like solar panels or windmills for a carbon-neutral CO2 to CO conversion.
Applications:
With potential applications in the steel industry, this technology is being actively pursued for scaling up through the recently established start-up UrjanovaC Private Limited. The company has also obtained license to use an alternative CO2 capture and conversion technology developed by NCoE-CCU with DST support and incubation at IIT Bombay.
This work is an effort to support India’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2070. The NCoE-CCU is focusing on developing innovative, scalable, and cost-effective methods for capturing CO2 from various emission sources for greenhouse gas mitigation. The idea is to convert it into useable chemicals or permanent storage.
Researchers led by Dr. Arnab Dutta and Vikram Vishal have been granted a patent for CO2 to CO conversion technology. The innovation is also set to be published in an international publication named, Nature Communications.