Novel adsorbents applied to integrated energy-efficient industrial CO2 capture

The UK Government has an ambitious target to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050. Industrial processes account for 25% of total EU CO2 emissions, and moreover, they are already operating at or close to the theoretical limits of efficiency. Therefore, CO2 capture and storage (CCS) is the only technology that can deliver the required emission reductions. However, efficiency and capital cost penalties associated with CO2 capture are hindering the deployment of CCS. There is an opportunity here for industrial CCS to operate at a wider range of temperatures and to integrate available thermal streams with heat required for on-site sorbent regeneration.

This multidisciplinary proposal unites leading engineers and scientists from the Universities of Heriot-Watt, Hull and Newcastle to realise our vision of integrating novel hydrotalcite solid sorbents with advanced heat integration processes for industrial CO2 capture. Hydrotalcite materials present a big potential for industrial CCS, as they show faster kinetics and better regenerability over other high temperature sorbents; however, their application in industrial capture processes remains largely unexplored. We will research novel methodologies to enhance and tailor performance of hydrotalcites for CO2 capture over a wide range of conditions needed in industrial processes. We will also address the challenge of designing a suitable process that combines the roles of heat management (heat recovery for desorption) and mass transfer (ad- and desorption) across a range of process conditions (temperature, pressure, humidity, gas constituents) with a degree of flexibility that is economically and technically viable.

This multidisciplinary collaboration across leading Universities will impact on society and economy through the integration and deployment of industrial CO2 capture and associated materials and process industries, as well as impact knowledge and capacity building. We will realise the potential knowledge based, economic and societal impacts of our research through application and exploitation and communication and engagement activities.

The outcomes of this project will contribute to achieving the UK's ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, as industrial processes account for 25% of total EU CO2 emissions. The approach in this proposal to develop adsorption processes for integrated energy-efficient industrial CO2 capture will impact on the reduction of our CO2 emissions from industry, and by extent in the global economy and quality of life. In the UK, the potential for low-grade waste heat recovery is between 11-14.4TWh with a potential cost savings for waste heat recovery of up to £285m/year. Moreover, most heat intensive industries (cement, ceramics, iron and steel, glassmaking, chemicals, refineries, paper and pulp, and food and drink), employ around 2% of the UK workforce and contribute £50 bn/year.

We have planned a user engagement strategy to generate maximum impact and identify and exploit research outputs via a portfolio of knowledge exchange activities and we have carefully taken into account the recommendations of the Dowling Report. A broad range of stakeholders have been identified to benefit from the outcomes of this project, including industry and UK Policymakers and Regulators.

We will deliver two training courses open to industry and policy stakeholders and the cohort of researchers. We will promote two-way flexible secondments with our international and industrial partners to transfer skills and knowledge and also deliver three engagement workshops to exchange knowledge, identify funding/collaboration opportunities and dissemination of outputs. These activities build upon the existing and proven knowledge transfer and professional training platform at the investigators' institutions and will be supported through the expert Business Development teams at the investigators' institutions. An IP watching brief will be produced every six months and our University Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) will help to identify and support the commercial exploitation through patenting and consultancy.

We propose a plan for outreach to the public, policy makers and industry that will complement the conventional routes for dissemination to the scientific community. All the researchers will engage communication and engagement activities. We will be supported by Heriot-Watt Engage that promotes, stimulates and supports public engagement activities to create and exchange knowledge for the benefit of society.

Our dissemination activities will include publications in high impact journals and open access publications, as well as active participation in national and international conferences publication of project outputs in relevant trade journals. A dedicated web site will be established to promote broader understanding of the project and disseminate. We will also deliver a variety of public engagement activities, with face-to-face engagement including festivals, schools programmes, lectures and policyholder briefings. We will use a Digital Curation Centre Platform for management of research data and dissemination.