Indian Industrial Plant Converts Captured CO2 Into Baking Soda

A coal-fired industrial plant in southern India has begun successfully capturing CO2 emissions and converting them to baking soda.
The zero-emissions Tuticorin Chemicals plant.
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.