A coal-fired industrial plant in southern India has begun successfully capturing CO2 emissions and converting them to baking soda.
The project’s developers say the process, which will capture up to 60,000 tons of CO2 each year, is the world’s “first industrial-scale example of carbon capture and utilization,”
according to The Guardian. It costs just $30 per ton to capture the CO2, compared to the $60-90 per ton price tag that came with previous carbon capture systems. The technology is installed at Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals near Chennai in southeast India. It uses a form of salt to bond with CO2 molecules exiting the plant’s boiler system. The plant then reuses the captured gas to make baking soda, also commonly known as soda ash, a chemical used in the manufacturing of a variety of other products, including glass, paper, and detergents.