Nuada, a British company specializing in capturing carbon emissions, has begun testing its new technology at a Buzzi Unicem cement plant in Italy.
Buzzi, a major Italian cement producer with operations worldwide, is looking at Nuada‘s innovative system as a way to make cement with a much lower carbon footprint.
This project is a significant step forward in capturing carbon emissions, and it proves Nuada’s next-generation technology works well in a real cement factory.
Nuada’s design is energy-efficient and combines advanced solid materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with a well-established process known as vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA).
This unique electrically powered system separates CO2 from the exhaust gasses of the factory using pressure instead of heat.
This approach has the potential to solve the problems of high energy use, cost, and complexity that have limited the use of traditional carbon capture methods in industry.
“We are deploying the most energy-efficient carbon capture technology developed to date, a solution that redefines the decarbonisation landscape for hard-to-abate sectors like cement,” said Dr. Conor Hamill, Co-CEO of Nuada.
Dr. Jose Casaban, Co-CEO of Nuada added “This plant demonstrates the robustness, scalability and game-changing benefits of our innovative capture system. Together with Buzzi, we are demonstrating the future of carbon capture in cement.”
The new MOF-based VPSA plant is up and running, capturing one ton of CO2 every day from the cement plant’s exhaust.
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The project is supported by the Global Concrete and Cement Association (GCCA) and was launched through their Innovandi Open Challenge program.
This program encourages collaboration between major cement producers and innovative technology companies to find ways to make cement production cleaner.
The cement industry is responsible for 7% of the world’s carbon emissions, and the GCCA’s Net Zero Roadmap identifies carbon capture as the most important tool for reducing those emissions.
Buzzi expressed interest in exploring this and other technical solutions further in order to raise public awareness of the efforts being made to achieve the ambitious goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
Read More: Nuada And Buzzi Start CO2 Capture Trials For Cement Decarbonization