Geetali Kalita
Deputy General Manager and Head-ESG
M/s Numaligarh Refinery Limited
Ms. Geetali Kalita is a chemical engineer with a postgraduate executive management program from a renowned Indian business school. She is a certified energy auditor from the Ministry of Power, Government of India. Currently, she leads her company's ESG portfolio, integrating sustainable strategies into business operations. Her expertise includes energy management, process engineering, quality control, and environmental management. She has participated in national and international energy forums, representing her company. Her work focuses on net-zero emissions, carbon credits, and renewable energy policies to drive sustainability.
Participates in
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Fuels and Molecules
Alternative Fuels - E fuels, Biofuels and SAF
Forum 15 | Digital Poster Plaza 3
29
April
11:30
13:30
UTC+3
Background:
Diversifying energy basket by integration with nearby Petrochemical and Fertilizer plant.
In the evolving energy landscape, diversification is crucial for sustainability. Downstream refineries can bolster their energy portfolio by integrating petroleum products and chemicals. Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is strategically positioned to capitalize on this opportunity, given its proximity to a Petrochemical plant and a Fertilizer plant approximately 200 km away.
Synergistic Collaboration for Value Creation:
NRL proposes to utilize Methanol from Assam Petrochemicals Limited (APL) and Ammonia from the Assam Fertilizer Plant to produce marketable-grade Dimethylamine (DMA) at 20KTPA . This collaboration addresses APL's current offtake capacity constraints, as NRL's utilization of 90 TPD Methanol will facilitate their plant expansion done recently at 500 TPD. The reaction involves 90 TPD methanol and 27 TPD ammonia processed over a silica-alumina catalyst to produce methylamine, which can be further converted into a family of methylamines, including mono-, di-, and trimethylamine.
Market Significance of Methylamines:
These methylamines are essential ingredients for various chemicals used in:
Solvents: Dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide.
Pharmaceuticals: Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
Agrochemicals: Herbicides and pesticides.
Flocculants: Water treatment chemicals.
Surfactants: Detergents and cleaning agents.
Rubber Chemicals: Vulcanization accelerators.
Catalysts: Industrial processes.
Strategic Benefits
Product Diversification: Enhances NRL's product profile with a wider range of chemicals.
Energy Security: Contributes to stabilized energy security for the country by increasing self-reliance.
Sustainability Alignment: Supports the SDGs' 2030 targets by adopting sustainable energy practices.
Conclusion
This initiative not only fosters economic growth through value-added products but also aligns with global sustainability goals. By leveraging local resources and synergies, NRL can play a pivotal role in enhancing India's energy security while promoting a diversified and sustainable energy basket.
The paper shall talk about the opportunity to produce Mono methyl, di-methyl, trimethyl amine and its process and value creation through product diversification to meet demand and increase energy security for the country.
Diversifying energy basket by integration with nearby Petrochemical and Fertilizer plant.
In the evolving energy landscape, diversification is crucial for sustainability. Downstream refineries can bolster their energy portfolio by integrating petroleum products and chemicals. Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is strategically positioned to capitalize on this opportunity, given its proximity to a Petrochemical plant and a Fertilizer plant approximately 200 km away.
Synergistic Collaboration for Value Creation:
NRL proposes to utilize Methanol from Assam Petrochemicals Limited (APL) and Ammonia from the Assam Fertilizer Plant to produce marketable-grade Dimethylamine (DMA) at 20KTPA . This collaboration addresses APL's current offtake capacity constraints, as NRL's utilization of 90 TPD Methanol will facilitate their plant expansion done recently at 500 TPD. The reaction involves 90 TPD methanol and 27 TPD ammonia processed over a silica-alumina catalyst to produce methylamine, which can be further converted into a family of methylamines, including mono-, di-, and trimethylamine.
Market Significance of Methylamines:
These methylamines are essential ingredients for various chemicals used in:
Solvents: Dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide.
Pharmaceuticals: Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
Agrochemicals: Herbicides and pesticides.
Flocculants: Water treatment chemicals.
Surfactants: Detergents and cleaning agents.
Rubber Chemicals: Vulcanization accelerators.
Catalysts: Industrial processes.
Strategic Benefits
Product Diversification: Enhances NRL's product profile with a wider range of chemicals.
Energy Security: Contributes to stabilized energy security for the country by increasing self-reliance.
Sustainability Alignment: Supports the SDGs' 2030 targets by adopting sustainable energy practices.
Conclusion
This initiative not only fosters economic growth through value-added products but also aligns with global sustainability goals. By leveraging local resources and synergies, NRL can play a pivotal role in enhancing India's energy security while promoting a diversified and sustainable energy basket.
The paper shall talk about the opportunity to produce Mono methyl, di-methyl, trimethyl amine and its process and value creation through product diversification to meet demand and increase energy security for the country.
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Technologies
Advancing the Circular Economy & Value of Life Cycle Analyses
Forum 22 | Digital Poster Plaza 4
29
April
14:00
16:00
UTC+3
This study critically examines the sustainability of producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Crude Palm Oil (CPO) for the proposed Bio-ATF/SAF facility of Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in Odisha. The evaluation is anchored in the sustainability criteria outlined by the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which mandates lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and environmental safeguards for all SAF used in international aviation beginning 2027.
CORSIA specifies that SAF must deliver a minimum 10% net reduction in lifecycle GHG emissions relative to the baseline fossil jet fuel benchmark of 89 gCO₂e/MJ. Additionally, eligible feedstocks must meet stringent criteria related to land use, water and soil health, biodiversity conservation, human rights, and waste management. A key differentiator is the indirect land-use change (ILUC) risk, which assigns higher penalties to crop-based feedstocks like CPO and zero penalties to waste or residue-based alternatives such as Used Cooking Oil (UCO) and Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME).
The analysis compares CPO, UCO, and POME across life-cycle emissions and policy acceptance. UCO and POME, classified as waste/by-product streams, achieve significant GHG reductions—over 80%—and are free from ILUC implications, making them highly compatible with CORSIA and other international sustainability frameworks. In contrast, CPO-based SAF presents substantial challenges. Even with advanced biogas capture during processing (>85%), CPO achieves only marginal GHG savings (~14%). Without such mitigation, it fails to meet the minimum emissions threshold, disqualifying it under most standards.
These sustainability limitations are echoed in global policy frameworks. The European Union’s ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation and the United Kingdom’s SAF Mandate explicitly exclude CPO due to its high ILUC risk, while promoting UCO and POME as preferred feedstocks. Similarly, under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and Clean Fuel Production Credit (CFPC) scheme, CPO is effectively ineligible, whereas UCO and POME qualify for financial incentives and SAF certification pathways.
This evaluation highlights that SAF derived from CPO is largely misaligned with international sustainability and regulatory expectations. The findings underscore that future SAF production strategies—particularly those seeking global recognition and market access—must prioritize waste and residue-based feedstocks such as UCO and POME over primary crop-based oils like CPO. For NRL’s proposed facility, aligning with such criteria will be critical to achieving CORSIA certification and international competitiveness in the growing SAF market.
CORSIA specifies that SAF must deliver a minimum 10% net reduction in lifecycle GHG emissions relative to the baseline fossil jet fuel benchmark of 89 gCO₂e/MJ. Additionally, eligible feedstocks must meet stringent criteria related to land use, water and soil health, biodiversity conservation, human rights, and waste management. A key differentiator is the indirect land-use change (ILUC) risk, which assigns higher penalties to crop-based feedstocks like CPO and zero penalties to waste or residue-based alternatives such as Used Cooking Oil (UCO) and Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME).
The analysis compares CPO, UCO, and POME across life-cycle emissions and policy acceptance. UCO and POME, classified as waste/by-product streams, achieve significant GHG reductions—over 80%—and are free from ILUC implications, making them highly compatible with CORSIA and other international sustainability frameworks. In contrast, CPO-based SAF presents substantial challenges. Even with advanced biogas capture during processing (>85%), CPO achieves only marginal GHG savings (~14%). Without such mitigation, it fails to meet the minimum emissions threshold, disqualifying it under most standards.
These sustainability limitations are echoed in global policy frameworks. The European Union’s ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation and the United Kingdom’s SAF Mandate explicitly exclude CPO due to its high ILUC risk, while promoting UCO and POME as preferred feedstocks. Similarly, under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and Clean Fuel Production Credit (CFPC) scheme, CPO is effectively ineligible, whereas UCO and POME qualify for financial incentives and SAF certification pathways.
This evaluation highlights that SAF derived from CPO is largely misaligned with international sustainability and regulatory expectations. The findings underscore that future SAF production strategies—particularly those seeking global recognition and market access—must prioritize waste and residue-based feedstocks such as UCO and POME over primary crop-based oils like CPO. For NRL’s proposed facility, aligning with such criteria will be critical to achieving CORSIA certification and international competitiveness in the growing SAF market.
