About Coal Gasification Incentive Scheme
- It was approved in 2024, for promotion of coal and lignite gasification projects for PSUs and private sector.
- It aims to achieve 100 million tonnes of coal gasification by 2030, leveraging India’s abundant domestic coal reserves to promote sustainable industrial development.
- It encourages participation from both public and private sector players to establish coal gasification projects across the country.
- This initiative is a key component of India’s clean coal transition strategy.
- Significance: It is expected to reduce environmental impact, enhance energy security, and drive economic growth through technological innovation and infrastructure development.
- Category of Projects
- Category I:PSU-led projects
- Category II: Private and PSU projects
- Category III: Demonstration and small-scale projects
What is Coal Gasification?
- It is a thermo-chemical process that converts coal into syngas,
- A synthetic gas composed mainly of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and water vapour (H₂O).
- Coal is reacted at high temperatures (1000–1400°C) with a controlled amount of oxygen and steam, producing syngas.
- Process of Coal Gasification
- Preparation: Coal is finely crushed to increase surface area.
- Gasification reactor: The powdered coal is fed into a reactor with limited oxygen/air and steam.
- Chemical reactions: Coal breaks down into syngas components due to partial oxidation.
- Gas cleaning: Impurities like tar, sulfur, and dust are removed from raw syngas.
