United Kingdom – C-Capture has received £1.7 million from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to demonstrate the viability of next-generation, low-cost carbon capture solutions in difficult-to-decarbonize industries.
C-Capture will use the funds to fund a £2.7 million national project as a critical step toward net zero energy. C-carbon Capture’s capture technology will be deployed on numerous sites across the country, in industries that are particularly difficult to decarbonize, as part of the multi-industry, multi-million-pound project. Demonstrating the viability of a low-cost carbon capture technology in the fight against climate change.
In collaboration with leading consulting and engineering firm Wood, the compatibility of C-solvent-based Capture’s technology will be tested with real-world flue gas at sites owned by project partners Hanson Cement, part of the Heidelberg Group, Bioenergy Infrastructure Group (BIG), Glass Futures, and one of their member sites Pilkington UK.
The project ‘XLR8 CCS – accelerating the deployment of a low-cost carbon capture solution for hard-to-abate industries’ will conduct feasibility studies and deploy carbon capture solvent compatibility units (CCSCUs) in the cement and Energy from Waste (EfW) industries, as well as the glass industry, in a world first.
Benefits for UK industry
The glass and cement industries are vital to the economy, but they are also major CO2 emitters. Cement is one of the key ingredients in concrete, which is the most consumed material globally by weight after water. The cement industry is worth around £1 billion and emits about 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year in the United Kingdom. The glass industry in the UK contributes around £2 billion to the economy each year and emits over 2 million tonnes of CO2. EfW plants provide a solution to residual waste while also assisting in meeting the demand for low-carbon energy by converting waste that would otherwise be disposed of into electricity for homes. By incorporating carbon capture into the process, the sector’s emissions could be reduced even further, and in cases where waste wood is used as fuel, negative emissions could be achieved.
Because of the amount and type of impurities in their flue gas emissions, all three of these industries are particularly difficult to decarbonize. The XLR8 CCS project’s success will benefit UK industry by making a credible, low-cost technology a reality on the path to decarbonization in these sectors.
Although CCUS has been identified as a critical component in the path to decarbonization, there are currently barriers to adoption, including technology maturity, flue gas compatibility in multiple industries, and cost. XLR8 CCS aims to overcome these obstacles by demonstrating C-innovative Capture’s technology’s ability to remove CO2 from difficult-to-abate industries.
