Carbon Clean Solutions develops technology to cut CO2 emissions

Aniruddha Sharma, CEO, Carban Clean Solutions talks to Girja Shankar Kaura

Started by two Indian IIT graduates, Carbon Clean Solutions (CCS) is a pioneering company in carbon capturing, with patented and proven technology. CO2 capture technology is more effective and costs 40% lower than global competitors like Shell and Mitsubishi. Aniruddha Sharma, co-founder and CEO of CCS, talks about the company’s plans.

Q. What does CCS do and why was the company set up?

A. Carbon Clean Solutions (Carbon Clean) was set up with a vision to help large scale carbon dioxide emitters reduce their carbon footprint. Today, Carbon Clean’s technology can capture these carbon dioxide emissions and convert them into products of commercial value.

The idea was conceived at IIT, Kharagpur, by myself and co-founder Prateek Bumb.

We knew that fossil fuels would continue to play a vital role in helping the world meet its energy needs, and we also believed only technological solutions could make a difference and help the world tackle the challenge of climate change by providing an effective, commercially scalable carbon capture for re-use solution.

Q. In simple words, can you describe CCS’s technology and why you think it is going to make a difference to carbon capture in future?

A. Imagine a large power/industrial site with a big chimney emitting black smoke into the air. Our technology has the power to capture pure carbon dioxide from this smoke and reuse it. Once captured, the CO2 can be converted to baking soda, urea, plastics, chemicals and many other products driving profitable decarbonisation.

Our patented APBS carbon capture technology is proven to capture over 90% of carbon dioxide gases from smoke stacks at a price that makes business sense. The heart of the process is our patented APBS solvent technology that has the potential to dramatically reduce corrosion and energy demand, thereby reducing costs by at least 50%.

Q. What has been the main mode of funding and what are your achievements so far?

A. In 2010, we raised equity funding from a global set of investors to establish a dedicated research and bench-scale testing facility at UDCT Mumbai. In 2011, we further expanded our global operations and signed a research and development agreement with TNO (Dutch Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) based in the Netherlands.

Based on our results, Carbon Clean won £3.6 million (Rs 36 crore) in funding from the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) under a global Carbon Capture and Storage competition. By 2014, we had launched our product with our first customers and overcame the significant milestone of convincing early adopters.

Q. How can APBS technology be beneficial for a developing nation like India?

A. Ours is a fast-developing country with major planned expansion in the power and industrial sectors, a large amount of which will come from fossil fuels. A significant portion of our population will be severely affected by climate change, and this is already happening now. Therefore, there is a need to balance growth with carbon emissions.

With cost-competitive manufacturing, our technology would cost three times less than our closest competitor. This will enable manufacturing of carbon-free products at a large scale and create jobs in India. We also want to start an alternative CO2 reuse/ conversion industry, where products like plastics, chemicals, concrete and fuels will be produced as carbon negative products. This will help India become a leader in clean coal technology, a strategic win in achieving the goals set at COP21.

Q. How do you think India can foster a better environment for innovation?

A. Western countries have the infrastructure to support technology ideas and that’s what needs to be developed in India. Our journey to getting a product that can change the future of the energy system has been quite challenging. We need more physical settings for innovators to start working on products — labs, product shops, idea workplaces, and so on.

Q. What ongoing and future projects do you have in the pipeline in India?

A. We are currently building one of the largest CO2 capture and re-use commercial scale projects in India — the first of its kind. Once started by Q3 2016, it will become a showcase for industrial units and prove that sustainable growth is possible.