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Researchers from CSIRO and the Indian Institute of Science conducted a trial in India demonstrating that agricultural waste, specifically rice husk pellets, can partially replace coal in steelmaking. The trial at Jindal Steel in Odisha showed that blending 5% and 10% rice husk pellets into gasifiers maintained syngas production performance.

If widely implemented, this method could reduce emissions in India’s steel sector by up to 50%, potentially lowering CO₂ emissions by about 357 million tonnes annually. Supported by the Australian Government's Green Steel Research Partnership, the project aims to accelerate the adoption of biomass in steel production.