In the light of the recent announcement by NTPC of using Carbon Clean’s CDRMax™ carbon capture technology, Prateek Bumb, Co-Founder & CTO, Carbon Clean Solutions Limited, discusses their technology and its impact on industrial decarbonisation.

Tell us about the design and carbon capture power of the NTPC Power Plant by Carbon Clean.
The carbon capture plant is designed to capture 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per day, from the flue gas of Unit-13 of the Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station. The CO2 will eventually be combined with hydrogen to produce 10 tonnes per day of methanol through a catalytic hydrogenation process.
Carbon Clean’s CDRMax™ carbon capture technology is being used for this demonstration project, which is the first step toward decarbonising the power plant. The objectives of the project are to review the economics, design optimisation and waste heat utilisation, in order to further reduce the overall cost of carbon capture and utilisation. Evidence suggests that it will be both feasible and cost-effective, by using our carbon capture technology – CDRMaxTM.

What is the key technology backing the power plant?
Carbon Clean’s CDRMax™ carbon capture technology can be used with point source gases that contain CO2 concentrations between 3 per cent and 25 per cent by volume and produces CO2 with purities greater than 99 per cent, which can then be sold, reused or sequestered.
The CDRMax™ process uses Carbon Clean’s proprietary solvent, process equipment design, and advanced heat integration to significantly reduce both capital and operating costs. Due to an extremely low rate of corrosion, smaller equipment, and other improvements, CDRMax™ has been proven to provide a 20 per cent CapEx reduction compared to other available solutions. Thanks to lower heat and energy demand, CDRMax™ reduces OpEx by 30 per cent to 40 per cent compared to other available carbon capture solutions.

Tell us about the disposal of the captured carbon.
Carbon utilisation or storage at industrial plants is determined on a case-by-case basis. For example, the carbon captured at the St Fergus Gas plant will be transported and permanently stored offshore, as part of the Acorn Project. Meanwhile, in a project with Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited, India, the captured carbon is converted to soda ash and sold to Unilever, which uses it to manufacture cleaning products.

What impact is Carbon Clean planning to make on industrial decarbonisation?
Heavy industry accounts for around 30 per cent of global carbon emissions. Many industries – such as cement, steel, and refineries – have limited options to decarbonise. Point source carbon capture offers these industries a means of tackling their emissions and it is available now.
Carbon Clean is leading innovation in point source carbon capture and addressing the barriers to mass deployment, which have mainly been the cost and space requirements to install the technology.
Our latest fully modular carbon capture solution, CycloneCC, overcomes these barriers. CycloneCC has a footprint that is up to 50 per cent smaller than conventional carbon capture units and it will be deployable in less than eight weeks. It also has the potential to reduce CapEx and OpEx by up to 50 per cent and drive down the cost of carbon capture to $30/tonne on average, which would make the economic case for carbon capture undeniable.
This latest innovation, alongside Carbon Clean’s recent funding round, puts the company on track to deliver industrial decarbonisation on a gigatonne scale by the mid-2030s.

How do you picture your contribution to the Indian industrial economy›s goal to reach net zero by 2070?
Outside of the project with NTCP, Carbon Clean is working with Tata Steel and Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals & Fertilizers in India. We also have a joint venture with Veolia – Veolia Carbon Clean – that is committed to reducing industrial carbon dioxide emissions and helping India achieve its climate goals through the development of a series of carbon capture and compressed biogas (CBG) projects.
Looking forward, achieving net zero in India, will require a collaborative effort between hard-to-abate sectors, government and technology providers, such as Carbon Clean.

–Kanika Mathur