Sustainable Catalyst Development in Tata Steel's Integrated Steel Plant

Thesis Abstract

The study investigates sustainable catalyst development within Tata Steel’s integrated steel plant to reduce energy consumption, lower emissions, and enhance process efficiency across the cokemaking, sintering, and blast furnace charging stages. The central problem addressed is the historical dependence on nonrenewable catalysts and conventional process routes that incur high environmental footprints and volatile operating costs. The aim is to develop and validate a scalable, environmentally benign catalytic framework that enhances material efficiency and reduces lifecycle emissions in integrated steel production. Specific objectives include (i) identifying key process steps with catalytic bottlenecks and quantifying their environmental and economic impacts; (ii) synthesizing and characterizing a suite of novel, earth-abundant catalysts (e.g., transition metal oxides supported on alumina) tailored for high-temperature depolymerization and reaction selectivity; (iii) evaluating catalyst performance under plant-relevant conditions (operating temperatures 900–1200°C, pressures near ambient, typical gas compositions from coke ovens and blast furnaces); (iv) developing a kinetic model and conducting techno-economic and life-cycle assessments to establish scalability and cost-benefit trade-offs; and (v) formulating implementation pathways aligned with Tata Steel’s sustainability targets and industry benchmarks. The methodology follows a mixed-methods approach combining experimental catalysis with plant data analytics. The population comprises laboratory-scale catalyst test rigs, pilot-scale reactor modules, and production-line feed streams from Tata Steel’s integrated plant. A stratified sampling strategy yields 40–60 catalyst formulations for high-throughput screening, followed by 6–8 catalysts subjected to long-term durability tests under simulated plant conditions. Data collection employs (i) in situ/operando characterization (X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy) to monitor active phases and deactivation mechanisms; (ii) gas-phase analysis (sp-FTIR, mass spectrometry) to quantify product distributions and selectivity; (iii) Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) for physicochemical properties; (iv) plant-relevant process data (gas composition, flow rates, temperature profiles) supplied by Tata Steel’s process analytics team; and (v) economic and environmental data for life-cycle assessment. Validity and reliability are ensured through calibration with standard reference materials, replicate experiments (n?3), and cross-validation of kinetic parameters against plant operando observations. Data analysis employs regression modeling and response surface methodology to optimize catalyst formulations, ANOVA to assess batch-to-batch variability, and mechanistic kinetic modeling to capture high-temperature catalytic cycles. A conceptual framework integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Technology Acceptance Model is used to anticipate organizational readiness and adoption barriers, while a sustainability-centered theoretical lens (cradle-to-cradle and circular economy) guides interpretation of results. The study anticipates findings that identify at least two earth-abundant catalyst systems achieving 15–25% reductions in energy consumption and 10–20% reductions in CO2-equivalent emissions per tonne of steel, with sustained activity over 1000 h of simulated operation and favorable economic payback within 3–5 years under current carbon pricing scenarios. Expected contributions include (i) a validated catalytic design protocol for high-temperature steel-production environments using non-precious metals, (ii) a comprehensive plant-scale techno-economic and life-cycle assessment framework for sustainable catalysis in integrated mills, and (iii) actionable implementation pathways for Tata Steel that align with its decarbonization roadmap. The study concludes that sustainable catalyst development is technically feasible and economically advantageous when aligned with plant-specific reaction networks and data-driven process control. Recommendations emphasize iterative co-design with process analytics, staged pilot deployment, supplier partnerships for scalable catalyst synthesis, and integration of real-time catalyst monitoring with process optimization algorithms to sustain environmental and economic gains.