ICED: Integrated Cryogenic separation for CO2 Emissions Decrease

Project Description

Achieving net zero emissions as set by the UK government will need more than ever the exploitation of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). Carbon capture has focused on mature technologies, such as chemical absorption using amine-based solvents, but the large volumes of solvent used require significant thermal energy for regeneration. This shortcoming is promoting research on emerging technologies including membranes, calcium looping, catalysed sorbents, algae-based capture, direct air capture, and liquefaction, but most face different technological challenges and are at different and/or lower technology readiness levels. This project responds to this challenge through a cryogenic carbon capture (CCC) process (by freezing out the CO2) based on physical separation that avoids dealing with hazardous chemicals, with high CO2 removal levels and delivers a high purity CO2, which could be further used in the food industry and/or to produce chemicals. The ICED project exploits the benefits of cryogenic processes so as to find niche applications that could serve sectors where current carbon capture technologies are difficult to implement, e.g. smaller emitters and transport. For example, an earlier feasibility study showed a potential cost reduction of up to 70% for small-scale applications compared to the well-established amine-based capture. Existing CCC processes deposit CO2 frost on low-temperature heat exchangers. However, this requires large and expensive exchangers with high energy consumption refrigeration. This project takes as preferred CCC choice the novel advanced cryogenic carbon capture (A3C) process. This concept offers a substantial reduction in equipment size and costs compared to fixed heat transfer surfaces. This work will identify key potential applications and technical challenges of this technology, with the aim of developing an ambitious research programme that will establish the foundations for the development of the next regeneration of carbon capture technologies using cryogenic separation, named hereafter cold-CCUS.