India's Tata Steel Tests Biomass at Ferro-Chrome Plant

India's Tata Steel has carried out a trial using charcoal as a feedstock at its domestic ferro-chrome unit, with it also open to importing the biomass product. It said it finished the trial on 20 July, in which it replaced conventional reductants such as coke in the Athagarh ferro-chrome plant in east India's Odisha state with carbon-neutral biomass charcoal, made from the low-temperature burning of wood in an oxygen-starved atmosphere. The carbon released during the ferro-chrome production process was balanced by carbon absorbed by the trees from which wood for the charcoal was taken, it added.

The trial was part of Tata Steel's sustainability drive to cut emissions from its operations. Athagarh has a ferro-chrome production capacity of 55,000 t/yr. The use of 5pc of biomass in production is expected to lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 0.08/t of ferro-chrome, Tata Steel said, which is about 6pc of total CO2 emissions from the plant.

The company is carrying out more trials and feasibility studies to stabilize the use of biomass in ferro-chrome production, it said, adding that plans to commercialize biomass use as a feedstock have not been finalized yet. Tata Steel might also consider imports of charcoal if it is commercially and technically feasible.

Tata Steel is also working with Australian resources firm BHP to adopt low-carbon iron and steel production. This includes using biomass and carbon capture and utilization technology, which could cut emissions by up to 30pc for integrated steel mills.

Britain Prioritizes Employment in Tata Steel Negotiations : Minister

Tata, Britain’s biggest steel producer, started closing one of its carbon-intensive blast furnaces on Thursday while the shutdown of its other one is slated for September. (File photo: Reuters)

In the ongoing negotiations with Tata Steel, the United Kingdom’s newly established government is placing a paramount focus on safeguarding employment. Business Minister Jonathan Reynolds emphasized on Sunday the administration's commitment to preventing job losses while negotiating government support for Tata Steel’s transition to lower-carbon technologies.

Tata Steel, the largest steel producer in the UK, commenced the closure of one of its high-carbon-emission blast furnaces on Thursday. The second furnace is scheduled to shut down in September, potentially leading to the loss of up to 2,800 jobs at the Port Talbot site in South Wales.

The new government is required to ratify the £500 million ($635 million) support package previously agreed upon with Tata Steel to facilitate the construction of a low-carbon electric arc furnace. However, unions are advocating for an enhanced agreement with Tata Steel that could mitigate some of the anticipated job losses.

"This is a major priority for us," Reynolds stated during an interview with the BBC. "I am determined to ensure that job guarantees are integral to the ongoing negotiations."