Veolia is the first organisation in the UK to trial next generation non-amine carbon capture technology at the Sheffield Energy Recovery Facility.

An amine group are chemicals derived from ammonia, and the new technology means a less toxic and potentially more energy-efficient alternative.

Veolia and specialist company C-Capture, tested a new solvent originally discovered by researchers at the University of Leeds, currently capturing up to one tonne of carbon dioxide per day from the Sheffield facility’s flue gas. In simple terms, the technology captures carbon from the facility’s flue gases before they are released into the atmosphere, using a specially developed solvent that can then be regenerated and reused.

The trial, in partnership with Sheffield City Council, demonstrates the potential of a next generation, non-amine alternative to traditional carbon capture systems in the UK waste sector. While the initial results are promising, their large-scale deployment will depend on the availability of supporting infrastructure, appropriate regulatory frameworks, viable business models and continued public investment.

The carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry is experiencing significant investment. The Government has committed up to £21.7bn in funding over 25 years to support the development of CCS, which it projects could add £5bn annually to the UK economy by 2050.

Donald Macphail, COO - treatment, Veolia UK said: “Carbon capture is one of the tools available to help decarbonise residual emissions where they cannot yet be avoided. However, achieving net-zero also requires continued progress in waste prevention, recycling and circular economy solutions to reduce emissions at source. Technologies such as this are designed to complement - not replace - those priorities."

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