Bengaluru: In a development that is in line with India’s environmental goals and commitment to reduce carbon emissions, Bengaluru’s Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) is setting up the country’s first plant that will capture carbon dioxide (CO2). Can convert into methanol. Plant in Telangana.
JNCASR faculty professor Sebastian C Peter said his team achieved the scientific breakthrough of converting CO2 into methanol around 2020-21 after four years of development. Peter then launched a startup – Breathe Applied Sciences – at JNCASR to demonstrate the economic feasibility of the technology.
“Once we showed that it was economically viable, many industries showed interest in it, and the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDI) with the recommendation of Coal India Limited is commissioning our plant, which will It is the first facility in India to convert CO into methanol. , at the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) power plant in Manchiryal district of Telangana. “We have completed the ground breaking ceremony on Saturday (November 25),” Peter told TOI. The plant is expected to be operational in 2024, he said.
The technology can help control environmental pollution by reducing CO2 and converting it into a useful chemical (manol), which can be used in industries and commercial sectors. Pointing out that there is a huge demand for methanol globally, Peter said: “Currently, India imports about 90% of its methanol from China, and its demand is expected to grow rapidly in the near future. The new plant will have the capacity to produce 300 liters of methanol every day.
Lab-to-Market
Peter said Breathe has translated fundamental research in catalytic chemistry into a technological solution to recycle anthropogenic carbon as CO2 to tackle the global problem of climate change and energy.
Pointing out that power generation by burning fossil fuels releases CO2, Peter said that materials capable of cost-effectively converting CO2 into chemicals and fuels would help stabilize atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas, thanks to the conversion of CO2 There was no commercially viable process. The useful chemicals and existing state-of-the-art materials were expensive, limiting commercial implementation.
“This is the gap we have addressed by creating our own proprietary catalyst that helps us convert CO2 to methanol at an economically viable cost. We have not only developed efficient catalysts to convert CO2 into methanol and other chemicals, but we have also improved process engineering to increase the production of chemicals and fuels from anthropogenic CO2. For example, once the plant is ready, we will produce a liter of methanol at Rs 25-35, whereas the current cost of methanol is between Rs 35 and Rs 45 per litre,” Peter said.
JNCASR faculty professor Sebastian C Peter said his team achieved the scientific breakthrough of converting CO2 into methanol around 2020-21 after four years of development. Peter then launched a startup – Breathe Applied Sciences – at JNCASR to demonstrate the economic feasibility of the technology.
“Once we showed that it was economically viable, many industries showed interest in it, and the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDI) with the recommendation of Coal India Limited is commissioning our plant, which will It is the first facility in India to convert CO into methanol. , at the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) power plant in Manchiryal district of Telangana. “We have completed the ground breaking ceremony on Saturday (November 25),” Peter told TOI. The plant is expected to be operational in 2024, he said.
The technology can help control environmental pollution by reducing CO2 and converting it into a useful chemical (manol), which can be used in industries and commercial sectors. Pointing out that there is a huge demand for methanol globally, Peter said: “Currently, India imports about 90% of its methanol from China, and its demand is expected to grow rapidly in the near future. The new plant will have the capacity to produce 300 liters of methanol every day.
Lab-to-Market
Peter said Breathe has translated fundamental research in catalytic chemistry into a technological solution to recycle anthropogenic carbon as CO2 to tackle the global problem of climate change and energy.
Pointing out that power generation by burning fossil fuels releases CO2, Peter said that materials capable of cost-effectively converting CO2 into chemicals and fuels would help stabilize atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas, thanks to the conversion of CO2 There was no commercially viable process. The useful chemicals and existing state-of-the-art materials were expensive, limiting commercial implementation.
“This is the gap we have addressed by creating our own proprietary catalyst that helps us convert CO2 to methanol at an economically viable cost. We have not only developed efficient catalysts to convert CO2 into methanol and other chemicals, but we have also improved process engineering to increase the production of chemicals and fuels from anthropogenic CO2. For example, once the plant is ready, we will produce a liter of methanol at Rs 25-35, whereas the current cost of methanol is between Rs 35 and Rs 45 per litre,” Peter said.