India's Gail teams up with US-based LanzaTech for CCU projects

Indian gas marketing company Gail and US-based LanzaTech Global, a carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) company, have entered a partnership to explore solutions that advance Gail's net zero 2040 goals and have the potential to support wider decarbonisation applications globally, Gail said on July 18.

The companies will collaborate on a pilot scale CO₂ capture and conversion project that focuses on converting carbon dioxide into useful materials instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. By combining LanzaTech's CCU technology with Gail's renewable hydrogen and CO₂ gas streams, the project intends to enable resource utilisation and produce consumer goods such as fuel, packaging, and clothing from biorecycled materials instead of relying on virgin fossil fuels.

LanzaTech's CCU technology operates similarly to a brewery. It employs proprietary bacteria to consume carbon-rich pollution from industrial facilities and convert it into CarbonSmart chemicals, which can be used to create rubber, plastics, synthetic fibers, and fuels.

These materials serve as the building blocks for various consumer products, including clothing, laundry detergent, and sustainable aviation fuel. LanzaTech envisions a future where consumers can continue using essential products without relying on materials derived from virgin fossil fuels, making use of waste CO₂ as a valuable resource and reducing environmental liabilities, Gail said.