Vedanta BALCO aims to become net zero by 2050

Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), India’s iconic aluminium producer and a subsidiary of Vedanta Aluminium, has successfully conducted trial runs for using biodiesel in smelter operations. In the pilot test, the company used biodiesel for preheating molten metal (aluminium) carrying vehicles, called ‘ladles’, which transfer the hot metal in its molten state from its potlines to cast houses. A potline is a long building, or collection of buildings, located in a smelter and contains a series of ‘pots’, or large electrolytic  cells, in which aluminium smelting is carried out. The  preheating process is extremely crucial for removing any trace of moisture from the ladle. This is important for maintaining the purity and temperature of the metal during its transportation to cast houses, where the molten aluminium is converted into various finished products.
Biodiesel is a form of fuel derived from organic matter which, when burned, produces significantly lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to conventional, non-renewable fuels, besides aiding in farmers’ income. This is in line with the company’s ambitious target to become Net Zero Carbon by 2050 or sooner. Towards this end, BALCO is looking at increasing the quantum of renewables in its energy mix through various sources of green fuels, such as renewable energy, biomass, biodiesel, etc. For example, the company is currently utilizing 40-50 tonnes of biomass briquettes per day at its power plants and has plans to further increase the quantum of biomass consumption to reduce its reliance on fossil fuel.

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