Tata Chemical Europe (TCE)
Carbon Capture and Utilization
Reduced the carbon emissions from Tata Chemicals Europe operations by approximately 10%. This results in capturing 40,000 TE of carbon dioxide per year.
How can we reduce our carbon emissions? How can we lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and improve utilization of our own value stream? These are questions many industries and companies ask themselves, especially as taxes for emitting CO2 inevitably trend upward. Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE) has taken a leading role in the United Kingdom by investing in a Carbon Capture Utilization (CCU) plant that will capture their combined heat and power (CHP) plant’s CO2 and use it in their production of sodium bicarbonate.
“We worked closely with Pentair to develop a unique solution to capture carbon dioxide emissions that are then recycled to produce sodium bicarbonate. The official opening of the plant celebrates a major milestone in Tata Chemicals Europe’s journey to reducing carbon emissions from our operations with the carbon capture plant reducing our emissions by approximately 10% at our CHP plant. The solution we have created with Pentair demonstrates that innovation and technology can meet industrial challenges like our own.””
- Martin Ashcroft Managing Director Tata Chemicals Europe
During the CO2 capturing process, certain impurities like NOx need to be efficiently eliminated. Patented Pentair NOxFlash Technology helps to remove the risk of contaminating the liquid CO2 with NOx. This approach provides an efficient alternative to the traditional method of removing NOx from the CO2 that entails scrubbing the gas with a potassium permanganate (PPM) solution. PPM is a strong oxidizing chemical that requires caution in handling of both the initial chemical solution and its waste by-products. Use of such substances could create additional plant resource burdens as they may entail more considerations such as worker safety due to exposure precautions, environmental concerns due to disposal procedures and other costs such as supply due to more regulated import/export. By avoiding the use of PPM in the process, plants may avoid these issues, thereby alleviating these potential costs and other resource factors.
[1] “The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution”, HM Government, date accessed 24th May 2022, date published November 2020, Pg. 23 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/936567/10_POINT_PLAN_BOOKLET.pdf
[2] The Pentair Carbon Capture plant installed at Tata Chemicals Europe Northwich, UK site is designed to process 115 tons of carbon dioxide per day.
The equivalent number of cars is calculated using:
[3] “Climate change targets: the road to net zero?”, UK Parliament, House of Lords Library, date accessed 9th June, 2022, date published 24th May, 2021, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/1056/contents/made
[4] “Minimum Specifications for Food Gas Applications”, European Industrial Gases Association, date accessed 20th June 2022, published 2020, Pp. 2 & 4, https://www.eiga.eu/uploads/documents/DOC167.pdf