Balco explores the use of biodiesel across its plant operations to reduce carbon emissions

India’s iconic aluminium producer and a subsidiary of Vedanta Aluminium, Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), is exploring biodiesel applications across plant operations to decarbonize emissions.

The business initially uses it as fuel for specialist vehicles used for plant-wide mobility. When burned, biodiesel has a substantially lower carbon impact than traditional, non-renewable fuels because it is made from organic matter. This is another effort the corporation is making to cut carbon emissions.

The two key pillars of BALCO's decarbonization journey are energy efficiency and a rise in the use of green fuels.  BALCO is attempting to achieve this goal by incorporating more renewable energy sources, such as biomass, biodiesel, and renewable energy, into its energy mix.  For instance, the company's power plants use 40 to 50 tonnes of biomass briquettes daily. It plans to consume more biomass in order to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

The use of biodiesel in smelting operations for preheating molten metal (aluminium) carrying vehicles, known as "ladles," which transport the hot metal in its molten condition from its potlines to cast houses, has also been successfully tested by BALCO. A potline is a long building or group of buildings that are part of a smelter and houses a number of "pots," or huge electrolytic cells, where aluminium is melted. Through a number of energy-saving initiatives, BALCO saved close to 22,000 GJ of energy in FY 2022.

Abhijit Pati, the CEO and Director at BALCO, while Speaking about the company's commitment towards decarbonizing its operations in the long term, said, "BALCO is committed to being an active participant in the sustainable growth of Chhattisgarh and India at large. We are undertaking a multitude of initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint. The successful beginning of using biodiesel in various parts of our operations encourages us to remain attuned to emerging technologies for reducing our carbon footprint. We aim to create a sustainable future for future generations through such initiatives. We are driving the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) dimensions of sustainability to build a greener tomorrow."