Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CAPTUS (Demonstrating energy intensive industry-integrated solutions to produce liquid renewable energy carriers from CAPTUred carbon emissionS)
Reporting period: 2023-06-01 to 2024-09-30
CAPTUS is an EC funded project aiming to meet the GHG emissions reduction policies on EII with the use of CCU technologies. The cornerstone and key objective of the project is the demonstration of sustainable, cost-effective and scalable pathways to produce high-added value energy carriers by valorizing industrial carbon emissions and integrating renewable electricity surplus. To this aim, CO2 capture unites and their future conversion to energy vectors are developed and validated in three different demo sites. The 3 demo-sites that will be demonstrated are: (i) A biological valorization process based on a two-stage fermentation to produce medium and long chain triglycerides (TAGs) in a steel plant, (ii) Lipid-rich microalgae cultivation followed by hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) to produce bio-oils in a chemical plant, and (iii) Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to produce formic acid in a cement plant. The technologies will be validated at TRL7, and the obtained energy carriers will be validated considering their quality and feasibility for upgrading and upscaling through simulations and modelling tools. Furthermore, the regulatory and social landscape will be considered with the establishment of a roadmap for the implementation, also identifying barriers and bottlenecks that could hamper CO2 valorization in EIIs. To conclude, the project seeks to assure successful exploitation and dissemination through a strategic and business-oriented commercialization plan, dedicated business models and key stakeholders’ engagement.
During the first period, the project has focused its efforts on its framework definition and baseline assessment. Main needs and challenges of integrating advanced technologies into traditional industrial frameworks were assessed, including non-technical and market barriers that could impede the deployment of these technologies (investment risks, market acceptance issues, and regulatory hurdles). The three value chains explored by CAPTUS were mapped in detail, considering the flue gas volumes and composition, renewable energy sources available, and CCU routes to be implemented. Furthermore, a framework for assessing the performance of the CAPTUS project has been developed collaboratively by a methodology that gathered several KPIs and selected the most important ones per demo-site, totaling 40 KPIs and 45 supplemental indicators able to describe the performance of each CCU process in technical, environmental, economic and social aspects. These KPIs will serve as base for later validation by LCA, LCC and S-LCA once the CCU technologies are implemented and tested in industrial environments.
Activities related to the modelling and simulation of the processes have started and advanced significantly, with the key technologies per demo identified (PSA, HTL, ERCO2) and the key elements for equipment and processes simulation (e.g. governing equations, process conditions) defined and implemented. The first period of CAPTUS was also dedicated to establishing the C&D plan, communication materials and channels, as well as the first version of the exploitation and IPR management strategies. Transversal documentation fundamental for the adequate project implementation and follow-up (i.e. project and data management plans, project handbook, RRI plan) were delivered timely. Finally, important advances were made in the ongoing technical WPs dedicated to the novel CCU processes, such as: testing and definition of CO2 capture and conditioning technology (D2, D3); site assessment, planning and design of the PBR system for microalgae cultivation (D2); procurement, installation and commissioning of HTL reactor, start of experimental campaign to produce bio-oils from algae (D2), flue gas assessment and analysis per industrial partner (D1, D2, D3), first characterization activities to evaluate physico-chemical properties of HTL oils (D2), optimization of the first gas fermentation stage for converting CO2 into acetic acid (D1), optimization of the electrode fabrication procedure of the lab-scale electrolyser, as well as the design and construction of a new electrolyser with an electrode surface area of 100 cm² (D3), use of synthetic biology tools to engineer the selected yeast in order to improve the acetate uptake and conversion to TAGs (D1). These activities are paving the way for the implementation of the full CCU process in all three demo-sites and to maximize the CO2 conversion efficiency considering the energy requirements as well.
Activities related to the modelling and simulation of the processes have started and advanced significantly, with the key technologies per demo identified (PSA, HTL, ERCO2) and the key elements for equipment and processes simulation (e.g. governing equations, process conditions) defined and implemented. The first period of CAPTUS was also dedicated to establishing the C&D plan, communication materials and channels, as well as the first version of the exploitation and IPR management strategies. Transversal documentation fundamental for the adequate project implementation and follow-up (i.e. project and data management plans, project handbook, RRI plan) were delivered timely. Finally, important advances were made in the ongoing technical WPs dedicated to the novel CCU processes, such as: testing and definition of CO2 capture and conditioning technology (D2, D3); site assessment, planning and design of the PBR system for microalgae cultivation (D2); procurement, installation and commissioning of HTL reactor, start of experimental campaign to produce bio-oils from algae (D2), flue gas assessment and analysis per industrial partner (D1, D2, D3), first characterization activities to evaluate physico-chemical properties of HTL oils (D2), optimization of the first gas fermentation stage for converting CO2 into acetic acid (D1), optimization of the electrode fabrication procedure of the lab-scale electrolyser, as well as the design and construction of a new electrolyser with an electrode surface area of 100 cm² (D3), use of synthetic biology tools to engineer the selected yeast in order to improve the acetate uptake and conversion to TAGs (D1). These activities are paving the way for the implementation of the full CCU process in all three demo-sites and to maximize the CO2 conversion efficiency considering the energy requirements as well.
The CAPTUS project has made significant progress in the (i) Development and tuning of tailored CO2 capture and conditioning technologies for EII sectors (ii) Development of innovative technologies for converting CO2 into liquid energy carriers (iii) Well-structured planning, design and engineering activities for the adequate deployment, upscaling and replication of CCU technologies integrated with renewable electricity in industrial environments. In detail, through CAPTUS we have so far advanced the state of the art of technologies able to capture and purify real industrial flue gases with varying CO2 concentrations, impurities content, and generation patterns. Furthermore, the conversion of CO2-rich tail gas to acetate was optimized by gas fermentation, while yeast strains were further engineered to increase the conversion and efficiency of liquid fermentation reactions that convert acetate into TAGs. The state of the art of thermochemical conversion of Tetraselmis sp. Algae to bio-oils via HTL was advanced, including downstream processing steps to increase efficiency and minimize residue generation. Furthermore, the fabrication process of novel electrochemical reactors to efficiently reduce industrial CO2 to formic acid has been fine-tuned and scaled up. Through tailored modelling and simulation efforts, the main equipment from each demo was mathematically described and validated with basis on the current literature.