Two new centres in India for carbon capture and utilisation

NEW DELHI: In a bid to lead innovations in the field of climate change, the Department of Science & Technology (DST) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, has created two centres of excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilisation (NCOE-CCU) in Mumbai and Bengaluru. The Centre of Excellence (CoE) thus established will explore and unlock the potential of CCU technologies to set India on the path to achieving its climate goals and commitments.

With increasing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) leading to global warming and climate change, scientists worldwide have been working to develop technologies and processes to effectively capture, store, and re-utilise the CO₂ emitted by the industrial and energy sector. The CoE at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay will primarily focus on innovations and processes on industry oriented carbon capture and utilisation technologies.

Along with capturing, the CoE at IIT Bombay will work on process for converting the captured CO₂ to chemicals; recovering individual hydrocarbons; and compressing and transporting it. This will increase the value of the captured CO₂. According to a statement by the ministry, IIT Bombay centre will develop and demonstrate efficient capture of CO₂ with the help of representative flue gas from the effluents of power and biogas plants.  

The other CoE, established at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru will focus on developing materials and processes for CO₂ capture and utilisation. This particular CoE will work on developing processes that can be used in pilot mode and later scaled up to produce hydrocarbons and other value-added chemicals and fuels.

According to the Ministry, CoE at Bengaluru will also work on reaching technology readiness level that is on par with the commercial requirement at the industry level. This centre will promote the CCU research, provide training and consultancy, and translate its research excellence into solutions with global economic and social impact.

The NCOE has partnered with several academic and research institutes such as other IITs, universities, and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research labs. It has also partnered with industries including petroleum, cement, power, and steel. In the field of CCUS, the NCOE is set to serve as a focal point for cutting-edge research and application-oriented projects.