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• Larsen & Toubro (L&T) will develop a coal-to-ammonium nitrate project in Odisha, strengthening India’s industrial and chemical manufacturing infrastructure.
• The project will use coal gasification technology, where coal is converted into synthesis gas or syngas through controlled reactions involving oxygen, steam, or air.
• Syngas produced during coal gasification contains carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which can be further processed into chemicals such as ammonium nitrate and other industrial products.
• Ammonium nitrate, with the chemical formula NH4NO3, is a nitrogen-rich inorganic compound widely used in fertilisers and regulated industrial blasting operations.
• The project supports India’s broader strategy to expand coal-based chemical industries and improve value addition from domestic coal resources.
• Odisha was selected due to its abundant coal reserves and established industrial ecosystem connected to mining, steel, power generation, and mineral processing sectors.
• Major coal-producing districts in Odisha include Angul, Jharsuguda, and Sundargarh, making the state strategically suitable for large-scale coal-linked industrial projects.
• L&T, a major Indian multinational company, operates across engineering, construction, manufacturing, and technology sectors and plays a key role in infrastructure development projects.