Indian state-run steel producer Steel Authority of India Limited’s (SAIL) Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP) has commenced trials involving use of bamboo biochar as partial replacement of coke breeze as fossil fuel in the sintering process, a company statement said on Tuesday, March 4.
This utilization of greener biochar as fuel is expected to significantly reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and decrease CO2 emissions in the steel production process, it said.
Biochar is black carbon produced from biomass sources like wood chips, plant residues, or other agricultural wastes.
The trial follows extensive laboratory and pilot-scale testing at SAIL’s R&D Centre, where various biochar types were tested and optimized. With a carefully designed plan and robust testing methodology, the industrial-scale trial will be conducted over four to five days in two phases.
This trial has the potential to replace up to 10-20 percent of the coke breeze with bamboo biochar, contributing to an estimated reduction of 15-20 percent in CO2 emissions per metric ton of crude steel produced.