Source: Business Line
Context: India’s first CO2-to-methanol pilot plant is set to be established in Pune, Maharashtra, as part of a public-private partnership between IIT-Delhi and Thermax Limited.
- It aims to advance carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies, contributing to India’s climate goals and carbon reduction efforts.
- The initiative also ties into broader efforts by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Petroleum to reduce crude oil imports by blending 15% methanol in diesel.
- The plant will serve as a “living lab” for CCU research, fostering innovations in carbon capture techniques and the conversion of CO2 into chemicals.
- The project also aims to assess the feasibility of scaling up these technologies for broader industrial use, particularly in coal-based thermal power sectors, which account for 30% of India’s carbon emissions.
