Green chemistry

With the adverse effects of climate change becoming increasingly evident, companies in India and other developing nations face several new challenges: improving energy efficiencies, developing clean technologies, reducing effluent and greenhouse gas emissions, etc.

Green protocols
In keeping with the Montreal Protocol, Tata Chemicals has stopping producing methyl bromide and consuming carbon tetra chloride and freon-12 (known as ozone depleting substances). All Tata Chemical plants have achieved 100 per cent compliance with environmental norms for the last three years running.

Green products
Tata Chemicals, as a part of its green chemistry drive, is focusing on developing and introducing new green products that will help mitigate the impact of climate change. New offerings such as products for flue gas treatment and carbon absorption, and nanotechnology based glass-coatings for insulation are a part of the development programme at the Tata Chemicals Innovation Centre.

Alternative fuels
The company has invested in developing alternative and more environment-friendly biofuels such as bioethanol from sweet sorghum crops, and biodiesel from jatropha. The company uses renewable sources of energy where possible: solar energy to produce salt for its soda ash plant, biomass fuel for hot air generators.

Clean development
Tata Chemicals has registered several clean development mechanism (CDM) projects with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); these projects relate to energy reduction and methane reduction.

Energy efficiency
Recent investments in General Chemical Industrial Products and Magadi Soda Company have given Tata Chemicals access to natural soda ash deposits in Wyoming, USA and Lake Magadi, Kenya. These have resulted in improving energy efficiencies across the group. The Babrala plant is benchmarked as one of the world's lowest in energy consumption.