Tata Steel has replaced about 30,000 tonnes of fossil fuel with biochar (biomass-based charcoal) at its Jamshedpur plant.

Started as a trial last January 2023, the company sees a potential to reduce over 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually by replacing fossil fuel with biochar.

This apart, it improves energy efficiency by partially replacing pulverised coal injection.

The application in blast furnaces exceeding both 3000 m³ and 9000 tonnes per day production represents a significant global advancement too.

Rajiv Mangal, Vice President, Safety, Health & Sustainability, Tata Steel, said the introduction of biochar as a partial replacement for carbon-intensive fossil fuel such as coal is a big step not just for Tata Steel but for the entire Indian steel industry.

It opens doors for greater reliance on alternative fuels in the steelmaking process, it said.

The innovative approach involves injecting pulverised biochar into blast furnaces via tuyeres, a method successfully implemented for the first time in India in blast furnaces exceeding 3000 m³ volume.

Following successful trials in one blast furnace, the process was expanded to three others at the Jamshedpur plant. Further, Tata Steel has a plan to extend this biochar usage to other steelmaking sites.

Earlier this year, Tata Steel had successfully conducted a trial of biomass usage in ferrochrome making at its Ferrochrome Plant in Athagarh in Odisha’s Cuttack district.

Tata Steel was also become the first Indian steel company to undertake a full-laden leg voyage from East Coast Australia to India, powered by a B24 biofuel blend with VLSFO (Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil).

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