India exploring carbon capture: Susheel Kumar

The Coal Secretary is leading a delegation at a global meet in Alabama in this regard.

This November 16, 2015 photo shows a conveyor leading from a lignite coal storage dome at the Mississippi Power Co. carbon capture power plant in DeKalb, Mississippi.

India will explore the possibility of introducing technologies for capturing carbon dioxide emitted while burning coal and other fossil fuels, Coal Secretary Susheel Kumar has said.

Mr. Kumar is leading an Indian delegation at an international conference on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) in Alabama.

“Attending the conference has been very informative for my colleagues and me, we now have some food for thought to carefully contemplate the feasibility of CCUS with relevance to India,” he said.

Commercial, industrial uses

Advancing research in the area focuses on capturing carbon dioxide emissions from sources like coal-fired power plants, to either reuse or store it so it will not enter the atmosphere.

CO2 has commercial and industrial uses, particularly for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) in depleting oil fields. Carbon dioxide has the ability to change the properties of oil and make it easier to extract.

The International Energy Agency’s Green House Gas R&D initiative organises the annual Post Combustion Carbon Conference, which is currently in session in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Prabhat Ranjan, Executive Director of TIFAC – Technology Information Forecast and Assessment Council – of Department of Science and Technology, Dr. S.K. Acahrya, Chairman and MD of Neyveli Lignite Corporation and other officials are part of the Indian delegation.