Emission monitoring is drawing focused attention from the industry, especially from the cement, steel and power sectors. Subroto Roy, Director, ERC Chemtrols Pvt Ltd, speaks on the solutions available.
Give us a brief introduction of your organisation and how it is connected with the power industry…
ERC Chemtrols Pvt Ltd is a joint venture company between ERC Technik GmbH and Chemtrols Industries Pvt Ltd. The company offers products and solutions for emission reduction – particularly NOx for the cement, power and other process industries. The company is six years old, and is very actively involved with the cement and power industries to partner them towards meeting the new norms.
The revised environmental norms which were issued in December 2015 for coal-based power plants, how do you think the industry is responding to the change?
In general, the industry has accepted the norms as they were in discussion for some time now. There are a few apprehensions, though. The common position being that the time to comply by January 2017 is too short.
The other concerns, particularly for all retrofit units, are availability of space, modifications to the combustion process, and the cost of implementing these changes. The new and future installations will make provisions to meet the norms. Meanwhile, all the major power utilities and some OEMs such as BHEL and Thermax are already resorting to design changes or modifying the combustion process, and are working towards implementing norms by proposing emission control measures additionally.
Are you in a position to supply solutions to meet the revised norms on pollution and CEMS?
Yes, indeed we are. ERC Chemtrols Pvt Ltd offers SNCR, SCR and combined process solutions towards NOx abatement.
Chemtrols Industries Pvt Ltd – the flagship company – has been associated with the power industry for the past several years with other emission monitoring products, particularly for the stack such as dust monitoring, continuous emission monitoring, and of late, products to monitor the presence of mercury in the process flue gas. Besides these, we are also one of the major solution providers of ambient air quality monitoring systems in India.
What is your take on the technology availability for the measurements of all the relevant parameters?
There are established technologies available to meet all the requirements of the norms of emission as legislated for particulate matter monitoring, NOx, SOx and mercury monitoring continuously in the stack and NOx and SOx abatement by established processes such as SNCR, SCR for NOx and FGD (Flue Gas Desulphurisation) process, wet & dry.
India has ratified the COP21 agreement on October 2, 2016. What will be the overall impact on the industrial sector?
As a signatory, India is bound to observe the Kyoto Protocol, and towards that, the industry in India is mature enough to honour the MoEF directive and norms of emission which follow international norms.
However, for a developing country like India, the cost of implementing the norms may disturb the balance for the captains of the industry and investors have to toe a delicate line in managing the cost of social responsibility and profits. My personal view though is that our industry captains are men of tall stature, and this will be more than met in the future.