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Carbon capture technology
Supporting organisations to achieve net zero goals and improve sustainability credentials
Organisations face an ever-expanding list of sustainability regulations and mounting pressure to adopt climate strategies that satisfy investor and consumer expectations while demonstrably reducing emissions. Regulations such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the increasing demands of Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) compliance standards, and frameworks like the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Emissions Trading Systems (ETS) all challenge businesses to respond to the sustainability imperative.
As consumers and potential employees increasingly prioritise eco-conscious brands, ESG factors are now critical for attracting investment, customer loyalty, and talent.
Companies must balance the urgent need for sustainable transformation with the rising costs of operation.
Carbon and cost benefits
By using sustainably sourced biomass process wastes, such as waste wood from domestic timber production, to fuel a CHP unit, capture up to 95% of carbon dioxide through the application of three processes:
- producing biochar - a product similar to charcoal used by the agricultural sector to enrich soil and add to animal feed to reduce ruminant emissions.
- capturing carbon dioxide from the exhaust to produce industrial-grade carbon dioxide - used for making low-carbon concrete or in the food and drinks industry to replace carbon dioxide derived from industrial processes reliant on imported natural gas
- generating heat and power
Our commercial-size demonstrator plant is capable of removing 16,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually.
The food-grade carbon dioxide (CO2) captured can be used by other industries, such as in horticulture, agriculture and food and drink production, who have seen prices for food-grade CO2 increase by over 60% since 2020 – a trend which shows no sign of slowing.
Learn more about CO2 uses > [article on co2 use / focus on agri/F&D]
Around 50% of the carbon in the biomass feedstock is captured in the biochar resulting from the pyrolysis process with the remaining carbon in the feedstock is released as carbon dioxide in the flue gas coming out of the combustor.
Around 90% of this remaining carbon is captured through the chemical absorption system, driven by the heat and power generated by the turbine.
The two processes combined give an overall CO2 capture efficiency of 95% and thus provides significant negative emission and greenhouse gas removal in comparison to competitive technological solutions.
Learn more about biochar > [article on the value of biochar in general, and applied to Agri sector]
Further carbon reductions can be achieved through adapting existing CHP from being gas-powered to reliance on biomass feedstocks, enabling organisations to use lower-cost biomass process wastes to generate heat, power, food grade CO2, and biochar.
Learn about biomass > [article on how biomass and chp are perfect partners]
Innovative carbon capture technology: Q&A with Josh Dalby
Ricardo have developed innovative carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology to remove greenhouse gases and provide renewable heat, electricity and the valuable by-products of biochar and carbon dioxide. Here, Josh Dalby, Chief Engineer, tells us more about the project and the technology.
Combined heat and power (CHP)
CHP is a highly efficient process that captures and utilises heat generated as a by-product when generating electricity. By generating heat and power simultaneously, CHP can reduce carbon emissions by up to 30%. By having an independent energy source, organisations can reduce their dependency on the power grid, minimising the risk of energy price volatility and increasing business resilience where connections to the grid may be unreliable or inconsistent at times.
Carbon capture technology
Reduce the carbon associated with heat and power generation by capturing carbon dioxide emissions at source.
By adding Ricardo's innovative carbon capture unit to new or existing combined heat and power units (CHP) – whether gas or biomass powered – organisations can avoid releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, removing this from their reportable emissions.
The supply of high quality, food-grade carbon dioxide can then create a new income stream - the market for which is predicted to continue to grow exponentially over the coming decade - or applied to local uses where required.
Carbon capture a solution to reducing harmful emissions and securing carbon dioxide supplies?
Innovative carbon-capture technology can secure the supply of carbon dioxide and accelerate the UK concrete industry’s reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
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