India's Sail starts trialling biochar for steelmaking

India's state-controlled Steel Authority of India (Sail) has started using biochar for steelmaking at its plant in Odisha state to bring down carbon emissions.

Sail carried out a trial injection of biochar in blast furnace (BF) 1 of its Rourkela Steel Plant on 24 August, the steelmaker said.

Biochar — produced by thermally decomposing biomass derived from plants and animals — can partially replace pulverised coal injection in BFs, Sail said. The company did not provide any specific timelines.

Steelmakers in India are largely reliant on traditional BF technology, which uses coal as a reducing agent to produce iron and releases vast amounts of carbon in the process. Coal-based BFs account for 73pc of India's total operating iron-making capacity, according to data from Global Energy Monitor.

There has also been a global push towards finding alternatives to fossil fuels in steelmaking, as countries commit to achieving net zero emissions. In recent days, at least four Japanese steelmakers have tested the use of biocarbon — widely known as biochar — as a replacement for fossil fuels in their electric arc furnaces.

In July, Tata Steel also tested the use of biomass as a feedstock at its ferro-chrome unit in east India's Odisha state.

Sail's Rourkela plant has a crude steel capacity of 4.2mn t/yr and produces hot-rolled and coil-rolled steel as well as some long products. The company's total crude steel production fell by 7pc to 4.68mn t in April-June, compared with the previous quarter.

By Amruta Khandekar