Green Methanol Plant at Kandla Port from Prosopis Wood
Why in the news
A circular-economy project at Kandla will convert a harmful weed from the Kutch grasslands into a cleaner fuel for ships, tackling an ecological problem and a shipping-emissions problem together.
Key facts
- Location: Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), Kandla, Gujarat.
- Feedstock: Prosopis juliflora, locally Gando Baval (Mad Tree) and Vilayati Keekar in the north.
- Process: a two-step thermochemical route – gasification then synthesis.
- Partners: Ankur Scientific (step one), Thermax Energy (step two).
From wood to methanol
- Gasification: wood is heated with limited oxygen, a stage between combustion and pyrolysis, breaking it into syngas (hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide).
- Synthesis: syngas is chemically converted into methanol (CH3OH).
Conventional vs green methanol
| Aspect | Conventional | Green |
|---|---|---|
| Raw material | Natural gas or coal gasification | Biomass such as agricultural residue and weeds |
| CO2 emissions | High, fossil-based | Lower by up to 95% |
| Other pollutants | High NOx and SOx | NOx down 80%; SOx eliminated |
| IMO rules | May attract future penalties | Meets IMO’s Green Port rules |
About Prosopis juliflora
- Mexican-origin shrub brought in during the 1920s by the British and in 1961 by the Gujarat Forest Department to stop desertification.
- It has displaced native grasses across thousands of kilometres of the Banni grasslands, harming livestock and wildlife habitat.
- Invasive because it spreads quickly, lowers the water table beyond other plants’ reach and releases chemicals that stop native species growing (allelopathy).
- Yet its hardwood is dense, burns well and has little acid, so it suits use as biomass.
Background
- Syngas: fuel gas mixture mainly of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and some carbon dioxide; an intermediate for synthetic fuels.
- IMO: UN agency for shipping safety and marine pollution control, with emission-cutting targets for 2030 and 2050.
- Green methanol is emerging as a replacement for bunker oil, the heavy fossil fuel of ships.
Exam angle
- Plant site: Kandla (Deendayal Port).
- Intermediate gas: syngas.
- Environmental angle: invasive species, biofuels, shipping decarbonisation.