New Delhi- A new pilot plant project by the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) and Thermax Ltd. will capture carbon dioxide emissions from various sources and convert it to methanol.

The project, which is being implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), is a first-of-its-kind initiative for India. The 1.4 tonnes/day (TPD) plant will help in the development of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies, which are playing a key role in India's efforts to achieve its goal of net-zero carbon emissions.

The project will be built at Thermax Ltd.'s Research, Technology, and Innovation Center (RTIC) in Pune, Delhi. The team of faculty members from the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Delhi will conduct research and development (R&D) work for the project, while the RTIC team at Thermax will scale up the laboratory-developed processes and demonstrate the technology on a pilot plant scale.

The project is expected to provide a design template for various industrial applications and also enable indigenous manufacturers to meet the future requirements of catalysts, absorbents, solvents, and other technology solutions. The project is being implemented using a public-private partnership (PPP) model, which is expected to strengthen the collaboration between academia and industry and enable the development of innovative technologies.

The foundation stone of the pilot plant was laid on September 14, by Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, DST. The project is anticipated to operate for 3 years and will help in demonstrating the viability of large-scale carbon capture and utilization technologies for the sustainable development of India.