Isra-Mart srl:Lanxess starts biomass-fuelled plant in Nagda

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NAGDA (Commodity Online): LANXESS India, the subsidiary of German specialty chemicals company LANXESS AG, has commissioned biomass-powered cogeneration plant at its manufacturing site in Nagda, Madhya Pradesh.

A company statement issued on Thursday, informed that the state-of-the-art co-generation power plant is fuelled by the biomass fuel - soya husk.

Dr. Joerg Strassburger, Country Representative and Managing Director of LANXESS India added, “We have raised the bar in terms of responsible manufacturing here in India. We have also set up and started a cogeneration plant in Jhagadia in the state of Gujarat which would be based on a clean fuel, natural gas. Since green chemistry is a part of the LANXESS DNA, we have taken initiatives to make our neighborhood greener by planting trees at our sites in Jhagadia and Nagda.”

With an investment of EUR seven million in the pioneering plant, LANXESS has clearly raised the bar for sustainable development in India. By utilizing a renewable source of energy, LANXESS will significantly reduce its carbon footprint by 70,000 metric tons of coal per year and thus reduce about 95,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. In comparison, the combustion of biomass as a fuel is carbon neutral for the environment.

Dr. Hans-Georg Schmitt, Head of LANXESS Basic Chemicals business unit said, “For us, the completion of this co-generation plant will be just the beginning of a major effort to make this Nagda site more sustainable. Besides reducing our carbon footprint, major emphasis is put on recycling process water. In addition, our waste treatment facilities will be enhanced with the goal of ultimately phasing out waste water discharge. A state-of-the-art liquid waste incinerator will be built and new ways to upgrade the safety and security of our transportation network will be sought.”

The German specialty chemicals company is using innovative and climate-friendly technologies at its manufacturing sites worldwide and has reduced its direct greenhouse gas emissions by more then 50 percent globally.

From 2007 to 2009, annual emissions from the group’s plants were cut from 3.5 million to 1.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents.

The inauguration of the cogeneration plant was marked by an opening ceremony attended by the Minister of Urban Administration and Development, Madhya Pradesh, Manohar Untwal, and other officials including Dilip Singh Gurjar, Member of Legislative Assembly, Rajesh Agarwal, a representative from Soyabean Processors Association and Consul General, Consulate of The Federal Republic of Germany, Leopold-Theodor Heldmann.