NTPC develops indigenous catalyst for methanol production

NTPC Ltd, IIP Dehradun develops Indigenous Catalyst for Methanol production from Flue Gas CO2.

The Research and Development wing of NTPC Ltd, NETRA, has developed Indigenous Catalyst for Hydrogenation of CO2 to Methanol in collaboration with Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun. A catalyst is an essential component for any chemical synthesis.

After characterizing the catalyst, a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative performance assessment is conducted in a specially designed 10 kg/day methanol pilot plant. This setup passes 1 mole of CO2 and 3 moles of H2 through a fixed-bed downflow reactor. The methanol produced by this catalyst has a purity of over 99%.

NTPC has taken significant strides in its commitment towards greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction, setting a benchmark for sustainable practices in the energy sector. NTPC Green Energy Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC, is aggressively pursuing initiatives aimed at reducing its carbon footprint, in line with global climate action targets and India’s pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070.

CO2 mitigation is one of the critical challenges being faced by fossil-fired power plants.  Therefore, capturing CO2 from the flue gas and converting it to valuable fuel & chemicals is in focus, globally.