Indian refiners could use petcoke to produce urea, methanol and ammonia rather than selling it outright: Dastur Energy CEO

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Atanu Mukherjee, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of vigor  engineering and advisory institution  Dastur Energy

Atanu Mukherjee, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of vigor engineering and advisory institution Dastur Energy | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement.

India’s petroleum assemblage could progressively look astatine utilising petroleum coke (petcoke) to nutrient much downstream products arsenic ammonia, urea, methanol and dimethyl ether (DME), among others, alternatively of selling it disconnected directly, Atanu Mukherjee, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of vigor engineering and advisory institution Dastur Energy told The Hindu.

“If you pain petcoke, it is precise polluting,” helium observed, adding, “On the different hand, you tin instrumentality the petcoke and person it into antithetic kinds of chemicals oregon molecules utilizing a process called gasification.”

Petroleum Coke, oregon Petcoke, is simply a carbon-rich, coagulated residue produced from the processing of dense refinery bottoms, aft lighter and higher-value products person been extracted.

It works arsenic a substance successful cement, lime kilns and concern boilers, among others, by either afloat oregon partially burning the compound.

Mr. Mukherjee explained that a gasifier would beryllium cardinal to the process of producing much downstream products. It would p partially oxidise the petcoke utilizing oxygen and steam and person it into a operation of c monoxide and hydrogen, which is commonly known arsenic syngas.

This, the Dastur CEO explains, could beryllium utilised to nutrient DME – which could beryllium blended with LPG; methanol and methane among others.

However, helium emphasised that fine-tuning of the gasifier and the downstream process configuration, depending connected the desired merchandise slate and syngas composition, would beryllium indispensable successful the process.

“How I fine-tune the gasifier based connected the end-product needs that I privation to person would beryllium indispensable successful designing the complex, what products you privation to person and [cater to] what markets,” helium stated.

Mr. Mukherjee added the exertion is readily disposable successful respective countries, including the U.S., and Indian refiners could licence them for the abbreviated word towards yet gathering capacities arsenic per their requirements implicit the longer-term.

In presumption of a policy, Mr. Mukherjee held that immoderate dedicated diversion of petcoke for “conversion alternatively than combustion” could assistance spur the mechanism.

Published - June 19, 2026 11:38 p.m. IST

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