DME cylinders can replace LPG; BITS Pilani cracks CO₂ conversion

At a time when global geopolitical uncertainties continue to hit Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) supply, scientists at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Hyderabad, have achieved a breakthrough that could reshape how India thinks about fuel. LPG cylinders could potentially be replaced by Dimethyl Ether (DME).

Led by researchers Sounak Roy, head of Research and Innovation at BITS Pilani, along with Satyapaul A. Singh and retired professor B.M. Reddy, the development is as much about process innovation as it is about the outcome.

The innovation demonstrates a technological route to convert simulated flue gas (a byproduct of combustion from power plants) into DME, using laboratory-synthesised bifunctional materials with hydrogen gas produced via electrolysis of water.

In the laboratory, the team used a high-pressure reactor to maintain a high Gas Hourly Space Velocity (GHSV), mimicking the exhaust stream of a power plant, and screened the catalytic materials for single-step conversion. Reaction parameters such as temperature, pressure, and feed ratio were also optimised to achieve a high DME-to-methanol ratio.

Researchers say that DME burns cleanly, emits far fewer pollutants such as soot and sulfur oxides compared to conventional LPG, and offers similar thermal efficiency. Additionally, as an alternative fuel aimed at reducing India’s dependence on imported LPG, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in late 2024 established standards for blending up to 20% DME with LPG to create a cleaner and more cost-effective cooking fuel.

These scientists also said that the process ensures superior CO₂ conversion and single-step DME production, integrated CO₂ capture from power plant flue gas, and economic and industrial value creation by producing and using hydrogen derived from renewable energy.

The three-year project, which commenced in 2022 with an outlay of approximately ₹44.69 lakh, was supported by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation.