Tata Steel took the initiative in setting up the first carbon capture and utilisation unit which was commissioned in 2021. The unit at Jamshedpur captures around 5 tonnes of carbon per day and converts it for reuse at the plant. JSW Steel has also collaborated with Larsen and Toubro Limited to explore and evaluate various Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies and their applications.

Green Steel and Gold hydrogen

Green steel is the new expression used when making steel with less CO2 emissions and using hydrogen instead of CO2. Creating hydrogen itself uses a lot of energy and hydropower is being used in some places to replace energy from coal and power. However, with storage in bulk still a problem it has not really taken off in a big way.

This new experiment uses a process which pumps microbes and recycled water in residual oil reservoirs and post the carbon capture the hydrogen in stored in a cavern. This is done in the subsurface. Biomass gasification and coal gasification has yet to take off across the industry. Gold hydrogen production is very cost-competitive but the evacuation from the sub-surface strata will be a challenge unless the steel plant is near old reservoirs. 

The process of modification, the optimum usage of raw materials or using less GHG emitting resources is being done globally by the industry but reaching net carbon zero is nearly impossible in the coming years. Besides, steel with its inherent properties and its uses in transport, construction, mobility solutions including cars, ships, railways make reducing its usage in a growing economy like India’s next to impossible.  

Considerable research is happening to find alternate metals which can replace steel partially or fully to make a material difference to GHG emissions. Graphene is one wonder material which was touted for the last few decades as the material to replace steel in a meaningful manner. Graphene is a material comprising of a single layer of carbon and is around 200x stronger than steel, and lighter than paper, with good electrical and mechanical properties.

Tata, which has been doing R&D on graphene since 2014, has to its credit several graphene and related materials, such as a unique few-layer reduced graphene oxide (rGO) film and twisted multilayer graphene on nickel foil. But graphene has remained confined to the laboratory and the initial thoughts of replacing steel in some way or other have remained just that – thoughts on paper. Tata’s new material division has, however, been introducing new products.

During Covid it constructed pre-fabricated units branded Nest-In, using tubes and Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) to manufacture quarantine units. FRP is positioned as a new-age alternative building material that shows promise of becoming a viable mass-production solution for the future.

In the immediate future the steel industry is looking at offsetting carbon emissions to get to near zero-carbon emission status. JSW Steel has developed a mangrove restoration plan across 5,000 hectares. In water deficient places like Salem and Vijayanagar it has strengthened the mechanism for water conservation and security by introducing dry steel-making technology. This enhances water utilisation efficiency, and recovers good quality water via reverse osmosis. 

There are water sprinkler/wind net and dry & wet fog systems in raw material handling areas at Salem to reduce fugitive emissions. Jindal Steel recently said it earmarked Rs10,000 crore to reduce carbon emissions through various initiatives, including the usage of renewable energy to replace thermal power. It also plans to reduce the fuel rate through improved raw material quality through beneficiation, and deploying the best available technologies.

The Steel Authority of India has also taken several initiatives to reduce GHG emissions. Over the last 5 years it has planted nearly 212 lakh tree saplings to create what it dubs as a carbon sink. The PSU, which also has its own mines, has been active in restoring its mined areas through eco-restoration by planting trees. In its mines, townships and plants, it uses energy-efficient lighting systems and actively procures solar power from its units. 

The point is that all companies in India are going all out to retain cost-competitiveness in steel and also reduce carbon footprints. By 2030, India will not only meet the targets set by the policy makers but will be on its way to become a carbon neutral producer of this uniquely sustainable material which has a long, long life before it gets recycled.