Driving industrial decarbonisation: next-gen solutions for heavy industries

India's heavy industries must adopt waste-to-energy and CCU technologies to meet net-zero targets by 2070.

- BY Kirtiraj Jilkar, Executive Vice President and BU Head - P&ES, Thermax

The need to cut emissions and meet the Paris Agreement target of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels is more pressing than ever. Data from the World Economic Forum shows that hard-to-abate sectors still contribute nearly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Although notable progress has been made in decarbonising areas like oil & gas and transportation; heavy industries such as power generation, steel, cement, and chemicals remain particularly challenging. Given the critical role these sectors play in driving India's economic growth and development, effectively abating their emissions is essential.

The drive to decarbonization is gaining momentum—not just from environmental imperatives, but also from shifting regulations, rising shareholder demands, and increasing consumer preference for sustainable products. In this evolving context, heavy industries must adopt innovative decarbonization strategies to lower their carbon emissions and support the transition to a net-zero future.

To positively achieve decarbonization targets, industries need to adopt and adapt to new-age solutions.

Adoption of Waste to Energy

Industries can significantly reduce their reliance on fossil fuels by leveraging renewable biomassbased fuels—such as wood chips, and pellets or briquettes of agricultural residues. The use of municipal solid waste (MSW), whether in raw form or processed into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) or torrefied fuel, along with industrial process waste, can further cut greenhouse gas emissions by replacing conventional fuels, and minimizing landfilling.

Waste – to – Energy Solutions are becoming the solution of choice for industries aiming to lower their carbon footprint and meet sustainability targets:

• Biomass / MSW to Power

• Low Calorific Gas to Power

• Waste Heat Recovery Systems

• Waste Digestion for Bio-CNG Production