Government-funded research into decarbonising carbon-intensive industries is taking place at Heidelberg Materials’ Ketton cement works, near Stamford.
It is part of C-Capture’s national XLR8 CCS project, which aims to demonstrate that its low-cost carbon capture solution can be used in hard-to-abate industries such as cement and glass manufacturing.
C-Capture was founded in 2009 as a spin-out from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Leeds. Its investors include IP Group, Drax, BP Ventures and Northern Gritstone.
Its carbon capture technology uses a solvent to selectively capture CO2, which can then be compressed and sent for storage in geological reserves or used in other areas such as fertiliser and the oil and gas industries. The company claims that its process requires 40% less energy than other carbon capture technologies, reducing costs.
A carbon capture solvent compatibility unit has been installed at Ketton cement works to test the ability of C-Capture’s technology to remove CO2 from the flue gas emissions produced during cement manufacture.
The Ketton trial is one of six that will be delivered across three hard-to-abate industries – cement, glass and energy from waste – with funding through the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero’s net zero innovation portfolio.
The XLR8 CCS project has £1.7m of government funding plus a further £1m from industry.
Heidelberg Materials UK chief executive Simon Willis said: “Carbon capture is a critical part of our strategy to decarbonise cement production and essential if we are to reach net zero and help our customers achieve their own decarbonisation goals.
“Our venture with C-Capture is another example of our commitment to developing new technologies and, if successful, has the potential to be rolled-out at other sites across the Heidelberg Materials Group.”
C-Capture chief executive Tom White added: “Based on fundamentally different chemistry to other carbon capture approaches, C-Capture’s technology does not rely on the use of amines, offering a lower cost and environmentally benign solution. It is also extremely robust and able to withstand the challenging flue gases produced by hard-to-abate sectors.
“The XLR8 CCS project is a critical step in the race to net zero as we work to demonstrate that an affordable carbon capture solution is a reality – even for industries that are difficult to decarbonise.”
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