UKCCSRC Knowledge Exchange Conference 2025 – Parallel session 2a – CO₂ Capture (ECR Meeting Fund)

Haolin Ju (University of Birmingham) share their takeaways from “Parallel session 2a – CO₂ Capture” at the UKCCSRC Knowledge Exchange Conference 2025

This session of UKCCSRC Knowledge Exchange Conference chaired by Prof. Mathieu Lucquiaud from University of Sheffield was kicked off with updates on carbon capture.

First, Ronak Mistry from Greenovate Solutions introduced Cross Flow + Co-Current Flow Gas-Liq. Contactor for CO2 Capture.

The presentation provided a comprehensive overview of the TubeCCU technology, a modular carbon capture solution tailored for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across India and Southeast Asia. SMEs collectively contribute significantly to industrial CO2 emissions but lack access to affordable, efficient capture technologies due to high capital expenditure (45%), high energy requirements (25%), and limited technical capacity (20%).

The TubeCCU system integrates capture, purification, compression, and storage into a compact, modular design powered by industrial waste heat, minimising additional energy demand. Pilot studies demonstrated 90% CO2 removal efficiency at an energy consumption of just 2.6 GJ/tCO2, far lower than conventional processes, thereby reducing operating costs and environmental impact. The distributed deployment model links multiple SME units to centralised processing hubs, enabling shared infrastructure, logistics optimisation, and the development of local liquid CO2 (LCO2) supply chains, potentially replacing expensive imports.

Planned deployments include 5–50 TPD demonstration facilities in India and Singapore, with the ambitious goal of achieving 80% emissions reduction across SMEs by 2030 and full-scale industrial rollout by 2026. Beyond environmental benefits, the technology offers substantial economic gains, with Singapore alone projected to save 12 million SGD annually by substituting domestic LCO₂ production for imports.

The presentation concluded by emphasising TubeCCU’s scalability, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, positioning it as a transformative solution for decarbonising SMEs while supporting economic development and industrial sustainability in emerging economies.

Next, Dr Nejat Rahmanian, from the University of Bradford, talked about Integrated Carbon Capture and Aluminium Recovery: A Pathway to Net-Zero in Steel Industry.

This integrated approach emits 1.91 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of steel, contributing 7–9% of global CO2 emissions while producing large volumes of alkaline steel slag.

The proposed Indirect Mineral Carbonation (IMC) process employs a pH-Swing methodology combining acid leaching, impurity removal, CO₂ absorption, and carbonation to produce high-purity calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) while recovering valuable metals like aluminium. A Design of Experiments (DoE) approach tested acid type, concentration, temperature, and reaction time across 150 experiments, with TGA, XRD, SEM analyses confirming mineralogical changes and CO2 sequestration performance.

Results demonstrated >99% calcium leaching efficiency, significant aluminium recovery, and successful production of CaCO3 under optimised conditions. The IMC process thus offers dual environmental benefits: greenhouse gas mitigation and waste valorization.
Future work will focus on continuous process optimization, techno-economic assessment, and industrial-scale deployment, positioning IMC as a promising technology for low-carbon steel production and circular economy integration.

Last, Dr. Jasper Wong from Airhive talked about Airhive’s Direct Air Capture (DAC) Demonstration at Deep Sky Alpha, which focused on its low-cost Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology featuring a fluidized-bed carbonator, proprietary solid sorbents, and renewable-compatible heat recovery. The design emphasizes energy efficiency, modular scalability, and economic viability, enabling incremental deployment to reduce investment risks.

The first 1,000 tCO₂/year demonstration plant, Storm One, will launch in Canada by 2025. Pilot studies achieved high CO₂ removal efficiency at low energy intensity, though current costs remain around $468 per tonne CO₂.

Future plans include a 1-ktpa demonstration facility in Barcelona (2026), followed by 10-ktpa and 50–100-ktpa commercial plants in Canada and the Asia-Pacific region (2027–2028). The ongoing Series A funding round aims to finance project construction and commercialization efforts, targeting $4–6 million annual recurring revenue (ARR) by 2026 through industrial deployment and carbon credit markets.

Airhive envisions its DAC system as a scalable, renewable-integrated solution for industrial decarbonisation, bridging the gap between pilot validation and commercial-scale CO₂ removal.