A chemical plant in India is turning CO2 emissions from a coal boiler into revenue-generating chemicals.
The plant, located in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is one of two clean energy projects in the area that’s aimed at combatting climate change.
According to the BBC, the plant saves about 60,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year by converting them into chemicals including sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda.
The company, Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited, is not only notable for its success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions — it’s also been able to employ and profit from the technology without using government subsidies.
“I am a businessman. I never thought about saving the planet,” the company’s CEO told BBC. “I needed a reliable stream of CO2 and this was the best way to get it.”
The plant now has nearly zero CO2 emissions and has plans to instal another converter to make a fertilizer chemical.
For the technology to work, the company uses a patented new chemical developed by two young Indian chemists that stripS CO2 from a fine mist produced by the plant boiler’s chimney. The CO2 stream is then fed into the chemical plant where it is used to make a number of compounds.
The company is one of many working on turning CO2 emissions into high-value chemical products
