New carbon capture trial at Ketton cement works
A new carbon capture trial has been launched at our Ketton cement works in Rutland as part of C-Capture’s national XLR8 CCS project.
C-Capture aims to demonstrate that its low-cost carbon capture solution can be used in hard-to-abate industries such as cement and glass manufacturing.
The company’s next generation carbon capture technology uses a solvent to selectively capture CO2, which can then be compressed and sent for storage in safe, geological reserves or used in other areas such as the fertiliser and oil and gas industries. The process requires 40 per cent 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 project trial is one of six that will be delivered across three hard-to-abate industries – cement, glass and energy from waster – with funding through the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.
CEO 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.”
Tom White, CEO at C-Capture, added: “We are proud to be working with Heidelberg Materials and our other project partners who all have strong commitments to decarbonisation and are early adopters of novel carbon capture technology.
“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.”
XLR8 CCS is funded with £1.7m from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. The funding is part of the £20 million Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Innovation 2.0 programme aimed at accelerating the deployment of next-generation CCUS technology in the UK. Additional private sector contributions support a £2.7 million total for this multi-industry project.