enfinium has announced it has successfully launched the UK’s first carbon capture pilot at an energy-from-waste facility.
The project at enfinium’s Ferrybridge-1 energy-from-waste (EfW) site in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, will run for at least 12 months.
The launch is part of enfinium’s plans to deploy Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology across its UK facilities to generate carbon removals at scale and support the UK’s net zero target.
The technology was supplied by global green technology company Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) and utilises a containerised, scaled-down version of the CCS technology that enfinium said could deploy across all of its sites.
The operator said that the pilot captures one tonne of CO2 emissions from the plant’s operations each day.
The trial is being used to demonstrate how the technology can be applied at scale across enfinium’s fleet of six EfW facilities to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
enfinium said the pilot is collecting real operational data on performance, such as CO2 capture rate and solvent degradation, and will assess the performance of different amine solvents.
Carbon capture and storage technology is central to how the UK will be able to decarbonise its unrecyclable waste.
Commenting on the launch of the pilot, Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium, said: “We are proud to have this sector-leading project up and running at our Ferrybridge facility.
“Carbon capture and storage technology is central to how the UK will be able to decarbonise its unrecyclable waste. CCS is also critical to generating carbon removals at scale so the UK can achieve net zero.
“Using carbon capture, the energy from waste sector can provide significant levels of carbon removals and enfinium, with the support of HZI, are taking steps now to achieve this.”
In July, the National Infrastructure Commission’s annual progress report recommended the UK Government ban new long-term contracts for EfW plants without carbon capture plans.
Recent research by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies found that the energy from the waste sector could contribute up to 8 million tonnes of carbon removals.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “I’m delighted to see the fantastic work being piloted in Ferrybridge, continuing the long tradition of energy generation and innovation in West Yorkshire.
“To see this development from enfinium is massively encouraging, as our own modelling shows a need for carbon capture and storage to help us reach our net zero ambitions.
“Climate change is one of the biggest global challenges we face, so it’s vital we find new opportunities for innovation that can help us build a greener, more secure region that’s fit for the future.”
enfinium said it is also advancing the planning and consenting programme for the installation of CCS at its Ferrybridge 1 and 2 Facilities in West Yorkshire by launching a five-week public consultation, running from 16 September to 20 October 2024.
