Carbon Utilisation in the South Wales Industrial Cluster

Research into industrial decarbonisation is essential to asset the growing mix of low-carbon technologies that will dominate in the Net Zero future. This research focuses on identifying business-case carbon capture utilisation (CCU) applications across South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC). CCU is a recognised (and commercialised) method of industrial decarbonisation and sustainable waste management.

Utilisation of waste-CO2 reduces a process' carbon footprint by avoiding emissions from conventionally fossil-derived inputs. In some cases CCU can permanently store CO2 in products i.e., mineralisation in construction materials. Furthermore, utilisation of waste-CO2 as a feedstock enables local circularity, and reduces resource consumption by adding value to waste, helping decarbonisation of traditionally hard to abate sectors (e.g., sustainable aviation fuel generation from waste-CO2).

Although CCU is a viable decarbonisation method, particularly in dispersed industrial sites, it is not as well researched nor applied as other low-carbon technologies. This is mainly due to insufficient carbon pricing, technology immaturity with energy penalties and lack of CCU awareness. Thus, the following research aims to hurdle such challenges by applying circularity and green-industrial symbiosis concepts with CCU by sharing low-carbon infrastructure and locally reusing waste-CO2.

We hope to identify what CO2 utilisation pathways best suit SWIC; and where CO2 derived products can be incorporated locally. Hence research objectives are to simulate relevant CCU plants within the a SWIC landscape case-by-case. This will be done using chemical/system engineering software Aspen Plus. Currently, renewable methanol synthesis from waste-CO2 emissions was found to have relevancy, thus a model is being developed to evaluate its potential in SWIC.