The oil ministry of India is in favor of the country placing a ban on imports of petroleum coke, the government’s lawyer told the Supreme Court on Monday, as India aims to curb imports of the polluting oil refinery by-product in a bid to fight severe air pollution. Petroleum coke—or petcoke—is used as a fuel due to its higher energy content than coal. But petcoke is even more polluting and harmful than coal as it releases larger amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulfur dioxide that can cause acid rains or lung diseases. India, the world’s largest consumer of petcoke, banned at the end of last year the use of ... (full story)