US company offers to produce chemicals from coal emissions

KARACHI: A United States company delegation called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday offering a new technology jointly produced named as `Coal to Chemical’ to produce different chemicals from scraps of coal.

The delegation from New York-based Emissions Resources Corp (LERC) was led by Chairman Mr. Fernando Alvarez, Chief Financial Officer Mr. Daren Person and Director Mr. Russ Gerson.

Also included was Gorntazy Group Chairman Mr. Munir Akram, Mr. Zeyd Shaeikh Gorntazy Group (Pakistan), CEO RETech Mr. Tanveer Zaidi and Director RETech Syed Azam Ali.

The chief minister was assisted by Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Secretary Energy Agha Wasif, Khursheed Jamali and CEO Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) Shamsuddin Shaikh.

Briefing the chief minister, the companies’ experts said that their scientists have developed a new technology ‘Coal to Chemical’ under which emissions of coal-fired power plants are stored and different chemicals are produced from them.

The delegation said that the technology used to produce the coal-fired power in Thar is latest one and environmentally-safe.

However, the emissions of coal-fired power are wasted in the atmosphere, and could instead be used to produce ammonia, menthol and water. This would give a great benefit to the coal-fired power project.

CM Sindh asked the delegation to visit Thar coal mines area and conduct an experiment or lab test to prove their concept to the provincial government.

“If the experiment is ok the provincial government would work with them on a pilot project,” he said.

He directed Secretary Energy to coordinate with the visiting delegation and get proof of the concept so that necessary action could be taken.