Plans to make biodiesel from carbon of Singrauli thermal power plant

Ram Krishna Dharmarth Foundation (RKDF) University, located in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, will conduct research and testing in collaboration with a company associated with NASA to reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. An MoU has been signed between NASA-affiliated company United Semiconductor LLC (USLLC) and the private university of Bhopal. Under the MoU, USLLC will transfer technology with the university in the coming days. Using the technology, researchers at the university will extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to make biodiesel and generate energy, among other things. 

Electricity generation through solar energy

Apart from this, the work of generating electricity on a large scale from solar energy is also being done at the university. 

Retired Indian Engineering Services (IES) officer Dr Vinod Krishna Sethi is currently working as Director General Research at RKDF University. He shows us the huge solar plant installed at the university. His companions are working to generate electricity through this plant. Explaining to us, Dr Sethi says,

“This plant works to generate electricity by collecting solar energy. When the sun rises, it is focused so that the sun's rays fall directly on this solar panel and heat the water. This produces steam which drives a turbine which generates electricity.”

Sethi explains that this electricity is stored in cells received from the US through technology transfer, and can be used later. Dr Sethi explains that these cells are different from the currently used lithium battery, so they don’t harm the environment.

Eight years of work

Dr Sethi says that his department is already working on the option of generating energy and reducing environmental pollution. Earlier in the year 2015, he had worked on technology transfer under the MoU with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of the US. Since March 2023, he has started working with USLLC in collaboration with Dr Partha S. Dutta, who is associated with NASA.

Production of biodiesel and methanol will be possible

Dr Sethi says, “To deal with the climate crisis, work has to be done at 2 levels. First mitigation and second adaptation. We are working on mitigation so that the carbon content in the atmosphere can be reduced.”

Dr Sethi says that while working on mitigation, his focus right now is to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to make biodiesel. He says that after we capture carbon from the atmosphere, our biotechnology department is working on making algae with its help. This algae will be able to grow in the ash pond of thermal power plants, with the help of which good quality biodiesel can be made.

Dr Sethi also tells us about other benefits of captured carbon. He says that methanol can also be made with its help. 

“A catalyst is used to make methanol from carbon dioxide. Creating this catalyst is also a difficult process for which we will transfer technology from the US company. Methanol is used in many things to make paints, clothes and synthetic fabrics.”

Apart from this, researchers of RKDF University will also work on making Biochar from this carbon dioxide. It can be used to increase the quality of soil in the fields.

According to Dr Sethi, “By using biochar, we can reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers in the fields. It will be beneficial for the environment.”

Talking to us, researchers of RKDF University say that by capturing the carbon content, it can also be used as a building material. “If carbon dioxide is captured and mixed with concrete, RCC gets stronger.” Dr Sethi says.

The first trial of this project will be done in the thermal power plant of Singrauli. Here, the carbon dioxide coming out of the plant will be captured.

Thermoelectric devices

United Semiconductor LLC has signed a 3-year MoU with the University. Under this, while work is being done on the method of capturing and using carbon, on the other hand, the university is also making efforts to make thermoelectric devices. Thermoelectric devices work on temperature differences. It works to convert temperature into energy.

According to Dr Sethi, there is a great need for such equipment in the village. If you keep any such device on top of the stove, then electricity can be generated from it. He explains that it is even more beneficial than solar PV (Solar Photovoltaic) because you cannot use solar panels when there is no sunlight, whereas thermoelectric equipment generates electricity only on the temperature difference.

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