The Sydney-based Sunbrix Technologies, which has employed this technology in China, Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand, is now negotiating to sell this technology to the Indian industry using coal as fuel.

    "We have approached the Indian government as well as private companies including Tatas, SAIL, Usha Martin and Jindal power and steel. Some of them are actively considering to use this technology n their facilities," an official in Sunbrix Technologies said.

    With fuel prices escalating, coal is increasingly sought after as a fuel. Even as India is not completely self sufficient in coal production, 30% of it is still produced in India and various deposits such as those in Meghalaya remain untapped due to their high sulphur content.

    This technology of converting coal, coal dust and coal watery rejects into clean coal, will not only bring to India more coal produce but being a cleaner technology will reduce carbon dioxide emissions while generating eight times more heat that normal coal.

    This will further reduce costs for any industry using this clean coal as a fuel, the company claimed. When coal is mined and cleaned, often some fine coal retains water, making coal sticky and unfit for transportation. This rejected coal when briquetted turns into normal lump which can be used as a fuel with an organic binder.

    This process eliminates the possibility of concentrated smoke in addition to locking sulphur emissions. In India, it is mandatory that all coal must be washed. When this is done some impurities are collected in the ponds as tailings.

    If not cleaned up these tailings that have sulphur content, in contact with rain, lead to deterioration of water pipes in the water catchment areas due to formation of acids like sulphuric acid. With briquetting, this waste is also taken care of the company official said.

    The clean coal technology was showcased at the Rio De Janeiro Earth Conference as part of Australia's contribution to the greener world.