Chemical engineering business leading the charge to net zero

Leeds-based C-Capture, which has developed chemical processes for carbon dioxide removal, has secured £1.7m from the Government’s £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.

The funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is part of the £20m Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Innovation 2.0 programme, aimed at accelerating the deployment of next-generation CCUS technology in the UK.

C-Capture will use the funding to finance a £2.7m project as a critical step in the race to net zero.

It will see the company’s carbon capture technology deployed on sites across the country, within industries that are particularly difficult to decarbonise.

It intends to demonstrate that a low-cost, carbon capture technology is a credible solution in the fight against climate change.

The compatibility of the solvent-based technology will be trialled and assessed with flue gas across three hard-to-abate sectors – 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 Ltd – in conjunction with consulting and engineering company, Wood.

The project is called “XLR8 CCS – accelerating the deployment of a low-cost carbon capture solution for hard-to- abate industries”.

It will deliver feasibility studies and deploy carbon capture solvent compatibility units (CCSCUs) across the cement and Energy from Waste (EfW) and – in a world first – the glass industry.

Glass and cement industries are essential to the economy but are major carbon dioxide (CO₂₎ contributors.

Energy and climate change Minister, Greg Hands, said: “As we accelerate the UK’s energy independence by boosting clean, home-grown, affordable energy, it’s crucial that our industries reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

“This investment will help them to not only cut emissions, but also save money on energy bills, on top of supporting jobs by encouraging green innovation across in the UK.”

Tom White, CEO of C-Capture, added: “The deployment of carbon capture technology is essential – and urgent – to achieve net zero by 2050.

“Our solution has the potential to be a game changer. It uses less energy than currently available technology meaning it can significantly reduce the cost of carbon capture to a point that makes it affordable globally.

“It is also environmentally benign, well suited to the large-scale capture of CO₂ and robust enough to withstand even the most aggressive flue gases.

“These advantages mean it has potential to break the barriers that are preventing the widespread adoption of carbon capture and storage technology, to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”

Project success will see C-Capture and its project partners well placed for deployment of commercial-scale carbon capture facilities by 2030, which could capture millions of tonnes of CO₂ per year.