SIAD Group has completed the installation of a new plant aimed at capturing and liquefying biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2).
Undertaken alongside Enviral (a member of the Envien Group and Slovenské
Liehovary a likérky), the project – based in Leopoldov, Slovakia – aims to reduce fossil-fuel CO2 emissions.
The €11m ($11.7m) project uses carbon capture technology engineered by Tecno Project Industriale, while distribution of the captured CO2 in the Slovak market and neighbouring countries will be handled by SIAD Slovakia.
Once operational, the annual production capacity of the plant will be 40,000 tonnes of food-grade biogenic CO2, with the potential to increase to 80,000 tonnes in the project’s second phase, making it the only and largest facility of its kind in Slovakia.
It aims to achieve this using TPI technology which captures biogenic CO2 from the off-gas produced during the fermentation step in ethanol production.
©SIAD Group.
During the bioethanol process, corn starch is converted into ethyl alcohol via biotechnology. CO2-rich fermentation off-gas is piped to the SIAD plant for purification and liquefaction, while the food-grade CO2 is stored in insulated cryogenic tanks before distribution to customers.
“Thanks to this technology, we are able to capture and liquefy CO2 of biogenic origin, which will prevent the extraction of fossil fuel carbon dioxide from underground sources,” said Peter Kostik, CEO of Envien Group.
“Instead, it is captured directly from production at our facility and is not released freely into the air.”
The SIAD Group boasts a strong record in CO2 capture and liquefaction plant development, with over 300 worldwide.
According to the partners, Enviral’s Leopold plant is well-placed for CCU technology due to the capacity and the purity of the raw biogenic CO2 from the fermentation process.
“In the CO2 supply chain, as in the other energy transition related market such as hydrogen, biomethane and environmental, the SIAD Group uniquely combines the know-how and solutions of its engineering sector with innovative industrial gas applications,” said Bernardo Sestini, Chairman and CEO of the SIAD Group.
