Raghubir Gupta participated as an invited panelist in the Gasification India 2018 meeting in New Delhi, India on November 30, 2018 to discuss utilization of Indian coals to produce methanol, ammonia, and other products.
India’s coal industry is currently going through a major inflection point due to availability of cheap solar energy. Indian policymakers are learning from Chinese coal gasification industry to develop a vibrant coal-to-chemicals
Industry in India. A major roadblock is poor quality of Indian coals because of their high-ash content and high ash fusion temperature. If a successful gasification system can be demonstrated for producing syngas from high-ash Indian coals, this could allow India to reduce crude imports as well as develop a large chemical manufacturing base. This panel discussion focused on what technology options current exist and what needs to be done for India to realize this vision.