By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, March 24, 2015 :

Odisha has now added another feather to its cap as the First State to pilot carbon sequestration through microalgae technology successfully with encouraging results. Incidentally, Odisha took the lead in the country to implement the Climate Change Action Plan,

The microalgae bio-technology helps in capturing the carbon from flue gas of power plants very substantially and generates algae biomass which can be put to further industrial use. A pilot project has run successfully in the aluminium major, National Aluminium Company Ltd’s [Nalco] captive power plant near Anugul.

Presenting the details of the pilot project at an international seminar on Carbon Sequestration here on Tuesday, principal conservator of forests Siddhant Das said that this project has been piloted and demonstrated in the captive thermal power plant of NALCO at Angul and Prof. Ranjan Pardhan has carried on the project successfully.

The project has been conceptualized, commissioned and completed within a record time of 2 years and 4 months with the investment of Rs.94 lakhs under the joint aegis of State Pollution Control Board, NALCO and Indocan Technology Solutions.

Das further added that algae biomass generated through this technology has the potential to be used as bio-gas, bio-diesel, bio-oil, alcohol, fertilizer and protein for animal feed. It can also be used as additional fuel for power plants along with coal.

Nalco chairman and managing director, Ansuman Das said that the PSU major is committed to take up all initiatives for reduction of carbon emission from power plants since NALCO has one captive power plant for its aluminium steel producing plant at Angul.

Inaugurating the seminar, chief secretary G C Pati underscored the need to develop a network approach among the national and international laboratories to carry on further studies about various use of algae biomass. He also asked forest and environment department to draft a policy for upscaling use of the technology in power plants and utilization of algae biomass under climate change action plan.