The funding, awarded as part of phase four of the government’s energy entrepreneurs fund, will support the development and demonstration of innovative CCS technologies with the aim of reducing costs.
Carbon Clean Solutions will use funding to compare the performance of different solvents in reducing capital and operating costs for capturing CO2. The new solvents, developed by the firm, are less energy intensive than conventional methods, and have improved environmental performance.
C-Capture will screen amine-free solvents that have reduced toxicity, environmental impact and corrosion characteristics, for suitability and scaling up for use in industry. The results will be used in licensing negotiations with manufacturers of CCS plant and chemicals.
FET Engineering will advance its PureStream technology, a proven electro-chemical process, and aims to make it available for commercial deployment from 2017. The firm insists that its technology is a lower cost and more environmentally friendly solution to CCS than others under development.
The energy entrepreneurs fund saw a £4.5 million awarded to 14 companies to support development and demonstration of technologies across the areas of energy efficiency, power generation, heat and electricity storage, as well as CCS.
The government’s support for CCS has recently been called into question, following the news that generation giant Drax will not continue with plans to develop the White Rose CCS project beyond the initial development phase. The firm blamed the government’s recent shift in energy policy.