IIT Guwahati, NTPC develop energy-efficient tech for CO2 capture from power plants

The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has partnered with NTPC Limited to design and develop a highly energy-efficient plant to capture carbon di-oxide from power plants.

The premier institute claimed it has the potential to combat global climate change and will help natural gas and petroleum refineries among others.

According to officials, the technology developed by IIT Guwahati researchers works on flue gas -- a mixture of gases produced by the burning of fuel or other materials in power stations -- using a newly-activated amine solvent (IITGS), consumes up to 11 per cent less energy compared to commercial activated MDEA (monoethanolamine) solvent and up to 31 per cent less energy compared to the benchmark MEA (monoethanolamine) solvent.

After successful completion of test studies, the pilot plant has been shifted to NTPC's (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) NETRA facility. IIT Guwahati team and NTPC Limited are in the process of patenting the technology. This development has the potential impact to combat global climate change. The next phase of the study will involve the testing of pilot-plant using industrial flue gas, Bishnupada Mandal, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, said.

The outcomes 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 United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well, he 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.

The 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, Mandal said.