Guwahati, April 12: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) has partnered with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited to design and develop a highly energy-efficient technology for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture from power plants.
The technology, which works on flue gas using a newly activated amine solvent (IITGS), consumes up to 11 percent less energy compared to commercial activated MDEA (monoethanolamine) solvent and up to 31 percent less energy compared to benchmark MEA (monoethanolamine) solvent.
This indigenous technology has been developed by a research team led by Prof Bishnupada Mandal, department of chemical engineering, IIT Guwahati.
“The outcome of this project will benefit oil, natural gas, biogas industries, and petroleum refineries. This project, through its research and education, will support and strengthen the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has the potential to save a lot of foreign exchange for the nation as well,” a statement from IIT-G here on Tuesday said.
After successful completion of the test studies, the pilot plant has been shifted to NTPC’s NETRA facility.
The IIT Guwahati team and NTPC Limited are in the process of patenting the technology.
This development has the potential to combat global climate change.
The next phase of the study will involve the testing of a pilot plant using industrial flue gas.
Elaborating on the practical applications and benefits of the technology, Prof Mandal said, “The increase in anthropogenic CO2 emissions is one of the reasons attributed to global warming. Extensive research efforts are being made by the scientific community to overcome this global challenge that includes modifications to existing technologies through efficiency improvement for CO2 capture.”
Monoethanolamine and other proprietary solvent-based technologies are available for CO2 capture in the chemical industry.
This technology is utilised in coal and gas-fired power plants mainly to produce food-grade CO2 in small quantities (compared to CO2 capture in power plants). However, the process is energy-intensive, if adopted for large-scale CO2 capture in power plants.
