Circular Economy : Trial project to test the world's first modular CO2-capture service

Ostfold Energi's heating plant at Rakkestad in Norway is a small waste incineration plant that supplies industrial steam and district heating to around 50 customers in the region. A trial project is now being initiated for fully process- and heat-integrated CO2 capture, which will be completed by 2023 with the capacity of 10,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

A subsidiary of Ostfold Energi, Carbon Centric, is together with partner companies KANFA and Slaattland Mekaniske behind the development of the carbon capture facility. The Norwegian project will be the first module-based system to demonstrate full-scale CO2 capture from waste incineration. When in use, the plant will capture as much as 90 percent of all CO2 from the incineration process.

A permanent CO2 storage solution will not be ready until 2024 at the earliest. Therefore, the ambition is to sell the captured, liquified CO2 to the food- and greenhouse industries for reuse. "At the moment there is a focus on emissions from incineration plants. If we are to reach the 1,5-degree goal, the use of carbon capture facilities like this could make a difference. The costs for capture, transport, and storage are still substantial, so we will need incentives for the development and operation of carbon capture facilities to make this an industry standard in Europe," says Johnny Pedersen, Heating Manager at Ostfold Energi.

Geminor is now signing a new contract with Ostfold Energi for the delivery of 6,000 tonnes of RDF annually. The fuel is a mix of UK and Norwegian residual waste that has been developed for this project, Geminor's Country Manager in Norway, Kjetil Hausken, explains: "We are pleased to be able to continue the collaboration and deliver designer fuels to Ostfold Energi. We are also looking forward to following the pilot project closely, as we are noticing the current interest in carbon capture in Europe. There is little doubt that many waste producers have an interest in more sustainable disposal, and that many see this as part of the industry's future."