South Korea-based CarbonCo, a subsidiary of construction group DL E&C, has developed a new carbon dioxide absorbent designed to reduce energy consumption in carbon capture processes. The material targets emissions from power plants and industrial sites, where energy efficiency is crucial.
The absorbent is intended for post-combustion CO2 capture and requires 2.15 gigajoules of energy to capture one tonne of CO2. According to CarbonCo, this is more than 46% lower than the energy required by absorbents based on monoethanolamine (MEA), a solvent widely used to separate CO2 from flue gas in carbon capture systems.
Studies suggest MEA-based systems typically consume between 3.7 and 4.6 gigajoules per tonne, with most of that energy used to regenerate the solvent. This energy cost is a factor that has limited the economic viability of large-scale carbon capture.
The absorbent’s performance was tested at the Alberta Carbon Conversion Technology Centre in Canada, using a pilot-scale facility with a capacity of six tonnes per day.
CarbonCo plans to install a second pilot unit next month at the Pocheon Combined Heat Power Plant in Gyeonggi province, South Korea.
Energy consumption is a critical factor in carbon capture. Flue gas from industrial sources typically contains CO2 concentrations of between 4% and 25%, requiring absorbents to separate CO2 effectively at low concentrations while limiting energy input during regeneration.
CarbonCo developed the material over a three-year period. The project was led by Dr Shim Jae-koo, a former researcher at the Korea Electric Power Research Institute and developer of an absorbent known as KoSol.
The company is currently involved in a CCUS pilot project at the Danginri Power Plant in Seoul. Last year it exported its proprietary absorbent to Canada, marking the first export of Korean carbon capture material into North America.
The global CCUS market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of about 25% from here to reach approximately $37.5bn by 2033, according to the latest figures from research house Custom Market Insights. This growth is driven by the need to reduce industrial CO2 emissions and deliver on nation by nation climate targets.
“This absorbent is a strategic technology that can effectively respond to the growing global demand for CCUS,” said CarbonCo CEO Lee Sang-min. “We plan to actively target global markets, including North America.”
