A joint India–Australia research initiative has successfully demonstrated the use of agricultural waste in steelmaking
An India–Australia research partnership has moved a step closer to low-emission steel production after successfully completing a “world-first” trial using agricultural waste in the steelmaking process.
Scientists from Australia’s national science agency, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) demonstrated that rice husk pellets can partially replace coal in steel production, offering a potential pathway to reduce emissions from one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries.
The commercial-scale trial was conducted at a plant operated by Jindal Steel and Power Limited in Odisha in collaboration with RESCONS Solutions, a steel technology firm incubated at the Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development at IISc.
Researchers blended 5 per cent and 10 per cent rice husk pellets with coal in commercial gasifiers used to produce synthesis gas, or syngas, a key input in the iron ore reduction process in steelmaking. The trial achieved sustained production without any loss of operational performance.
Warren Flentje, senior experimental scientist at CSIRO, said the trial demonstrated that agricultural waste could play a role in reducing emissions from heavy industry. “This trial is a world-first demonstration of how agricultural waste can be harnessed to decarbonise steelmaking at scale. By blending rice husk pellets into commercial gasifiers, we’ve shown that biomass can replace coal without compromising performance,” he said.
The project is part of the India–Australia Green Steel Research Partnership funded by the Australian government and aims to develop scalable solutions that can be integrated into existing steelmaking infrastructure.
Damodar Mittal, executive director at Jindal Steel, said the collaboration marked an important milestone in the company’s efforts to lower emissions. “By integrating green energy and biomass into our production processes, we are reducing our carbon footprint while moving towards lower-emission steel,” he said.
India’s steel sector currently emits about 2.55 tonnes of carbon dioxide for every tonne of steel produced, compared with a global average of roughly 1.8 tonnes. With the country aiming to expand steelmaking capacity to 300 million tonnes by 2030, reducing emissions from the sector is becoming increasingly urgent.
Researchers estimate that widespread adoption of biomass-based processes could reduce emissions from India’s steel industry by up to 50 per cent. The next phase of the project will focus on trials in smaller regional steel plants and testing additional biomass sources to further cut emissions.
End of Article
Leave a Reply