The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Southern Company Services, Inc. will continue the operation and maintenance of existing test facilities at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) to provide a platform for the evaluation of third-party technologies to reduce the cost of carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture from coal- and natural gas-fired power plants and to advance CO₂ utilization technologies and negative emissions technologies, such as direct air capture (DAC). The NCCC provides support in design, procurement, construction, installation, operation, data collection and analysis, and reporting in compliance with environmental and government regulations. The NCCC includes multiple, adaptable slipstream units that allow simultaneous testing of third-party laboratory-, bench-, and pilot-scale advanced CO₂ capture technologies from diverse fuel sources at commercially relevant process conditions.

More than 110,000 hours of technology testing has been completed on more than 60 membrane, solvent, and sorbent technologies and their associated systems at the NCCC test site in Wilsonville, Alabama. The evaluation of advanced technologies, both domestic and international, helps to identify and resolve environmental, health and safety, operational, component, and system development issues, as well as to achieve scale-up and process enhancements in collaboration with the technology developers.

The University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (UNDEERC) will conduct complementary research and development (R&D) efforts under a Cooperative Agreement to advance and innovate science and energy technologies. Work will be performed in five topical areas of R&D: carbon storage; carbon capture; oil and gas; strategic studies; and support of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM) evolving mission. This program supports one of the three strategic goals to advance foundational science, innovate energy technologies, and inform data-driven policies that enhance U.S. economic growth and job creation, energy security, and environmental quality. The agreement builds on the proven approach and accomplishments of previous agreements between EERC and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) that have led to commercial demonstration and deployment of advanced technologies through jointly sponsored research on topics that would not be adequately addressed by the private sector alone.

The overall goal of this project is to advance a membrane-based, post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture process to a large pilot stage. Membrane Technology and Research (MTR) will construct and operate a large pilot system of the MTR membrane post-combustion CO₂ capture technology. MTR will build this system at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (WITC) at Basin Electric’s 422-megawatt (MW) Dry Fork Station located in Gillette, Wyoming. This station processes sub-bituminous coal from the Western Fuels’ Dry Fork Mine. Successful operation of the MTR large pilot membrane system will result in capturing 70% of the CO₂ from a 10-MWe equivalent slipstream, representing capture of approximately 150 metric tons of CO₂ per day at the station.

MTR subcontractor Sargent & Lundy (S&L) will perform the detailed design; Trimeric Corporation (another MTR subcontractor) will perform detailed design of CO₂ compression and purification, as well as conduct a techno-economic analysis; and Graycor (another MTR subcontractor) will provide construction services.

The overall project has five budget periods (BPs): Phase I/BP1—Feasibility (completed in 2019); Phase II/BP2—Front-End Engineering Design (FEED; completed in 2021); Phase III/BP3—Detailed Design and Construction (Initiated in 2021); Phase III/BP4—Operation; and Phase III/BP5—Decommissioning.

Researchers at the University of Illinois, in partnership with the Linde Group, BASF Corporation, Affiliated Engineers, Inc., and Affiliated Construction Services, Inc., are designing an amine-based carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture pilot-scale (10 megawatt-electric [MWe]) system at an existing coal-fired power plant. The system is based on the Linde-BASF advanced CO₂ capture process incorporating BASF’s novel solvent with an advanced stripper inter-stage heater design to optimize heat recovery. In a previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project, the Linde-BASF CO₂ capture technology showed the potential to be cost-effective and energy-efficient using actual flue gas during pilot-scale (1.5 MWe) testing at the National Carbon Capture Center. The aqueous amine-based solvent was optimized to exhibit long-term stability and a 20 percent reduction in regeneration energy requirements when compared to commercially available solvents; additional improvements in process design further reduce the cost of CO₂ capture.

Projects to design, construct, and operate large-scale pilots of transformational coal technologies are being conducted in three phases, with a down-select between phases. In Phase I of this project, the team completed preliminary design and engineering analyses for a 10 MWe capture facility installed at three potential host sites and selected the City, Water, Light and Power’s (CWLP) Dallman Power Plant as the host site based on the studies. The project team also completed an Environmental Information Volume (EIV) for the selected site, updated preliminary cost and schedule estimates, secured cost-share commitments for Phase II, and developed a plan for securing cost-share commitments for Phase III. The project was selected for Phase II (Design), in which the team will complete a front-end engineering design (FEED) study, including a detailed cost and schedule estimate for Phase III for the installation of the 10 MWe pilot at CWLP, complete the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and any required permitting processes at CWLP, secure Phase III (construction/operation) cost share funding, and complete an updated techno-economic analysis of the technology based on the most recent system design and cost information.

The Phase III objectives are to complete detailed engineering, procurement of equipment and modules, and build and operate a 10 MWe large pilot of the Linde/BASF post-combustion carbon capture technology at the CWLP Dallman Power Plant in Springfield, Illinois. The Phase III scope of work includes: (1) obtaining construction and operating permits for all regulated activities occurring during Phase III; (2) finalizing functional specifications and completing detailed engineering; (3) procuring equipment and materials for inside and outside the boundary limits (ISBL and OSBL); (4) constructing and installing the large pilot; (5) commissioning of the large pilot plant followed by parametric and steady-state operating test campaigns; (6) analyzing test campaign results; and (7) updating the techno-economic analysis (TEA) based on the design and cost information developed during the Phase III test campaign.

The approach used for design, construction, and commissioning is an important feature of the technology and will help enable the commercialization process. The regional economic benefit and the ability to repurpose some existing workforce at CWLP will also demonstrate how carbon capture can aid regional economies when it is deployed. If the technology performs as planned, there is a desire to have the capture plant remain in place and be utilized for future testing of capture and utilization technologies.

SRI International, in partnership with OLI Systems, Inc., Trimeric Corporation, the National Carbon Capture Center, and Baker Hughes, will test their advanced mixed-salt post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) absorption technology at engineering scale (0.5 MWe) to address concerns related to scale-up and integration of the technology in fossil fuel-based power plants. The process uses a non-degradable solvent that combines readily-available, inexpensive potassium and ammonium salt solutions, operates without solvent chilling, and employs a novel flow configuration that has been optimized to improve absorption kinetics, minimize ammonia emissions, and reduce water use compared to state-of-the-art ammonia-based and amine technologies. The objectives of the research project are to: 1) perform integrated mixed-salt process (MSP) testing at engineering scale for long-term periods under dynamic and continuous steady-state conditions with a real flue gas stream to address concerns relating to scale-up and integration of the technology to coal-based power plants; 2) operate the MSP with advanced heat integration to demonstrate advantages in process efficiencies; 3) study the solvent and water management strategies; and 4) collect critically important data for a detailed techno-economic analysis.

In this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, TDA Research, Inc. (TDA), in collaboration with Membrane Technology & Research, Inc., is developing a new class of sorbents to remove CO₂ selectively and with high capacity from flue gases generated from pulverized-coal combustion power plants. In Phase I, TDA prepared various sorbent formulations and screened them to determine their capacity to adsorb CO₂ under representative conditions. Based on the performance results, a preliminary design of the CO₂ capture system was completed as well as cost and size estimates. The team also completed an engineering assessment to compare the system to alternative processes. In Phase II, TDA will continue to optimize the sorbent to enhance its CO₂ capacity and further improve its resistance to flue gas impurities such as moisture, SOX and NOX. TDA will also scale-up the sorbent production and will work with MTR to prepare polymer films, which will be formed into spiral wound and planar modules. The team will assess the impact of critical process parameters at bench scale and carry out a minimum of 20,000 adsorption/desorption cycles. Finally, TDA will perform process simulation work and evaluate the techno-economic viability of the new CO₂ capture technology as a retrofit option for existing pulverized coal power plants.

TDA Research is partnering with University of Alberta, University of California Irvine, and the Wyoming Integrated Test Center, to develop a transformational sorbent for post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture capable of capturing more than 90% of the CO₂ emissions from a coal-fired power plant and recovering CO₂ at 95% purity with a cost of electricity 30% lower than an amine-based system. TDA's system uses a novel, stable, high-capacity CO₂ sorbent in a vacuum/concentration swing adsorption (VCSA) process that uses a single-stage vacuum pump with low auxiliary load. The sorbent regeneration uses a combination of two steps: 1) vacuum to recover the CO₂, and 2) purge using boiler air intake, subsequently feeding the CO₂-laden air to the boiler.

The project will develop a transformational molecular layer deposition (MLD) tailor-made, size-sieving sorbent/pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process (MLD-T-S/PSA) that can be installed in new or retrofitted into pulverized coal (PC) power plants for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture. The work will be performed by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, located in Troy, New York. The project technical activities include mathematical modeling, development of MLD tailor-made sorbents, MLD sorbent design, construction of an MLD-T-S/PSA system, and techno-economic analysis. The two sub-recipients in this project are University of South Carolina (USC) and Gas Technology Institute (GTI). USC will conduct sorbent performance testing, PSA process optimization, and system design and construction. GTI will evaluate the influence of impurities on sorbent performance and construct a testing skid at USC and transport it to the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Wilsonville, Alabama for field testing.

The University of Texas at Austin will develop technologies to safeguard amine-based carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture processes from solvent loss by oxidation. The project team will evaluate strategies to minimize amine oxidation in advanced 2nd- and 3rd-generation solvents caused by two of the most significant impurities: oxygen and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). These effective technologies will reduce the cost and environmental risk of solvent-based carbon capture systems by addressing the effects of flue gas impurities on solvent loss.

In this Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, Helios-NRG and its partners, the University of Buffalo and TechOpp Consulting, will work to develop CO₂-philic block copolymers with intrinsic microporosity (BCPIMs) for post-combustion CO₂ capture. The BCPIMs consisting of rubbery polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polymerizable metal-organic frameworks (polyMOFs) will be designed, synthesized, and characterized for carbon capture and have superior CO₂/N₂ separation properties. In Phase I, the team’s preliminary results found that the optimized materials achieved CO₂ permeability of at least 2,000 Barrer and CO₂/N₂ selectivity of at least 40 and also showed good stability in the presence of water vapor, SOx, and NOx. Initial techno-economic analysis (TEA) work confirmed the potential of the advanced membranes to achieve the project objective of $30/ton CO₂ or lower. Phase II efforts will focus on optimizing and scaling up of the fabrication of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes for CO₂/N₂ separation. These membranes will be tested for long-term membrane resistance to contaminants while using real flue gas. This will be followed by bench-scale module fabrication and performance measurements over a range of operating conditions.

Gas Technology Institute will advance Ohio State University’s transformational membrane-based carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technology through engineering-scale testing on actual coal-derived flue gas at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC). The amine-containing CO₂-selective membranes developed under U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded projects (FE0031731; FE0007632) consist of a thin selective inorganic layer embedded in a polymer support and exhibit high CO₂ permeance and very high selectivity of CO₂ over nitrogen (N₂). The superior performance is based on a facilitated transport mechanism, in which a reversible CO₂ reaction with fixed and mobile amine carriers enhances the CO₂/N₂ separation. The objectives of this project are to fabricate commercial-size membrane modules; design and install a 1-megawatt-electric (MWe) CO₂ capture system at ITC; conduct parametric testing with one- and two-stage membrane processes at varying CO₂ capture rates (60 to 90%); perform continuous testing at steady-state operation for a minimum of two months; and gather the data necessary for further process scale-up.

ION Clean Energy, Inc. will partner with Koch Modular Process Systems, Sargent & Lundy, Calpine Corporation, and Hellman & Associates, to advance their transformational post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technology through engineering-scale (1 megawatt-electric [MWe]) testing on a slipstream of flue gas from Calpine’s Los Medanos Energy Center (LMEC), a commercially dispatched natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant. The project team will design, construct, and operate a CO₂ capture pilot system using ION’s water-lean, amine-based, third-generation ICE-31 solvent that will capture 10 tonnes of CO₂ per day and yield a CO₂ product flow with greater than 95% purity that is suitable for compression and dehydration into a CO₂ pipeline. The project will leverage ION’s process expertise gained through testing their second-generation, state-of-the-art solvent, ICE-21, at bench- and pilot-scale with coal-fired flue gases. The CO₂ capture process will be optimized to take full advantage of the benefits provided by ION’s ICE-31 solvent in combination with other process improvements, all of which are derived through a process-intensification design philosophy focused on NGCC flue gas. The benefits of this holistic approach include a smaller physical plant, reduced energy requirements, improved CO₂ product quality, less solvent degradation, lower emissions, lower water usage, less maintenance, and lower capital costs.

Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. will team with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Research Triangle Institute, and Worley Group, Inc. to conduct engineering-scale testing of a water-lean solvent for post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture. Through a previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project (FWP-70924) under the Discovery of Carbon Capture Substance and Systems (DOCCSS) Initiative, a water-lean, single-amine solvent, N-(2-ethoxyethyl)-3-morpholinopropan-1-amine (EEMPA), was validated in laboratory-scale experiments and confirmed as a viable post-combustion capture solvent. This project will scale-up and test the performance of EEMPA for post-combustion capture of CO₂ from coal- and natural gas-derived flue gas over three phases (budget periods). In the first phase, the project team will develop a cost-effective method for synthesizing sufficient quantities of solvent to perform a 0.5-megawatt-electric (MWe)-scale test at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Wilsonville, Alabama, while evaluating process modifications needed to optimally operate the solvent process. In the second phase, the solvent will be manufactured and equipment modifications will be implemented at NCCC. In the final phase, test campaigns with both coal and natural gas flue gas sources will be conducted and a techno-economic analysis and an environmental health and safety risk assessment will be performed assuming full-scale deployment of the solvent and process at a power plant.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will continue the development and validation of 3D-printed intensified devices (i.e., mass exchange packing with internal cooling channels) for application in absorption columns to enhance carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture processes. In previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded projects, ORNL exhibited that the novel packing can effectively achieve mass exchange and heat exchange functionalities in a lab-scale column using an aqueous amine solvent (FWP-FEAA130) and using an advanced water-lean solvent (FWP-FEAA375). In this project, ORNL will: (1) design and construct a larger-scale column (“Column B”) than previously tested at ORNL to further validate enhanced CO₂ capture with 3D-printed intensified devices for aqueous amine-based capture at more realistic operating conditions; (2) assess the modularity of “Column B” with the intensified devices by removing certain elements to allow for operation with advanced water-lean solvents; and (3) confirm that “Column B” can be easily configured to effectively capture CO₂ from different inlet gas CO₂ compositions and during process transients.

CORMETECH Inc., in collaboration with Middle River Power, Southern Company Services Inc., and Nooter/Eriksen will further develop, optimize, and bench-scale test a novel, lower-cost integrated process technology for point source capture (PSC) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) flue gas. Similar to Global Thermostat’s leading process for direct air capture (DAC), this novel PSC process employs a monolithic amine contactor to capture the CO₂, followed by steam-mediated thermal desorption and CO₂ collection, in a multi-bed cyclic process unit. The process, however, does not include vacuum for desorption to enhance scalability to large NGCC plants. The process will incorporate an oxide monolith + amine-structured contactor based on the benchmark poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) sorbent. Experimental measurements of material and process impacts on adsorption and oxidative stability under the relevant conditions will be coupled with various process and techno-economic models to inform the design and optimization. A bench-scale system will be operated continuously for at least one-month at the National Carbon Capture Center to validate that the PSC technology yields a minimum of 95% carbon capture efficiency with a 95% purity CO₂ product stream.

Sustainable Energy Solutions LLC (SES) will partner with Chart Industries Inc., Eagle Materials Inc., and FLSmidth Inc. to advance the Cryogenic Carbon Capture™ (CCC) technology to engineering scale (30 tonnes of carbon dioxide [CO₂] captured/day). The project objectives are to design, build, and operate an engineering-scale plant with industrial post-process flue gas at the Eagle Materials/Central Plains Cement Plant in Sugar Creek, Missouri. The project goal is to demonstrate that the system captures more than 95% of the CO₂ from the flue gas slip stream and produces a CO₂ stream that is more than 95% pure. SES has completed thousands of hours of testing with their skid-scale (1-tonne CO₂/day) CCC system, achieving capture rates of 90–99.7% with high CO₂ purity (99+%).

The project will be executed in three phases to (1) design and size the major equipment for the process and finalize host site agreements and any required environmental or operational permits; (2) procure all equipment and construct and commission the engineering-scale system; and (3) operate the engineering-scale plant for at least two continuous months within a six-month testing period, followed by decommissioning and restoration of the host site. The project will continually update techno-economic and environmental, safety, and health analyses in parallel with the experimental work.

ION Clean Energy Inc. (ION) and Calpine California CCUS Holdings LLC (Calpine) will perform a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for a solvent-based carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture system to be retrofitted onto Calpine’s Delta Energy Center (DEC), an existing natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power station located in Pittsburg, California. The project team, consisting of ION, Calpine, Sargent & Lundy, Siemens, Jacobs, Toshiba, and Hamon-Daltek, will perform design, engineering, and analysis work to develop an AACE Class 3 Capital Cost Estimate (-20 to +30% accuracy); an overall cost of capture; and an analysis on environmental, economic, and social impacts to the Pittsburg-Antioch area. The team will endeavor to decarbonize DEC by capturing 95% of the CO₂ emissions for geologic storage in the nearby Sacramento Basin. This CO₂ capture plant design effort will utilize ION’s ICE-21 solvent and will be designed to take full advantage of the solvent benefits, which include a smaller physical plant, reduced energy requirements, less solvent degradation, lower emissions, and lower capital costs relative to systems built with commercial benchmark solvents. With the information developed through this project, combined with discussions with commercial partners, Calpine will be able to make an informed decision whether to proceed with deploying CO₂ capture at DEC.

The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (UK CAER) will design, retrofit, and test a dual solvent carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture system on their existing 0.1-megawatt-thermal (MWth) bench-scale facility using natural gas-derived flue gas, augmented to match natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) CO₂ and oxygen (O₂) concentrations. The overall objective of the project is to develop a dual-loop CO₂ capture process (i.e., two solvent absorption/regeneration loops) for NGCC flue gas with 99+% CO₂ capture efficiency and a 50% reduction in capital cost (as compared to the National Energy Technology Laboratory [NETL] B31B case). The operating cost is offset with credits from negative CO₂ emissions and hydrogen (H₂) production. The project will involve system design and installation, parametric testing to determine optimal parameters to achieve high capture efficiency, and long-term evaluation and accelerated life cycle testing to determine component stability, system performance variation upon load changes, and energy consumption optimization.

Thermisoln LLC, in partnership with the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, is working to develop a switchable-hydrophilicity solvent (SHS)-based absorption process that can energy-efficiently capture and fixate carbon dioxide (CO₂) from point sources of carbon emissions at the same time. The process enables the upcycling of gypsum wastes and could achieve at least 90% CO₂ capture efficiency from flue gas without increasing the total cost of electricity by more than 35%. In Phase I, the team demonstrated the technical viability of the technology. Phase II will have the following five key components (with major emphasis on the last one): (1) further development and improvement of a gas-liquid impinging scrubber, (2) design of a powerful decanter for efficient separation of oil phase from related emulsions, (3) design of a CO₂ desorber for rapid CO₂ desorption at temperatures less than 65°C, (4) mitigation of solvent volatile loss, and (5) system integration and process intensification. An integrated prototype comprising all the key units will be built and tested in-house at bench scale to demonstrate the techno-economic advantages over other alternative carbon capture technologies.

TDA Research is partnering with Membrane Technology and Research Inc. (MTR) and Schlumberger to develop a transformational polymer sorbent-based microwave assisted thermal swing adsorption (MTSA) process that captures more than 95% of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from a natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant, recovering CO₂ at 95%. TDA’s system uses a highly stable, high-capacity functionalized mixed matrix polymer (MMP) sorbent that will be manufactured into a structure with well-defined size flow channels to achieve a very low pressure drop through the sorbent bed. The regeneration of the sorbent is carried out using a thermal swing of only 30°C, which allows a short cycle duration and increases sorbent utilization (i.e., achieving a high CO₂ capture per tonne of material per hour, reducing the equipment size and capital cost). The sorbent will be prepared in the form of sheets (laminates) instead of pellets, which also significantly reduces the mass and heat transfer distances, resulting in complete thermal cycling of the sorbent in less than 30 minutes (full-cycle time). The system will also use directed microwave energy to assist with the rapid heating of the bed, reducing the heat requirement. MTR will fabricate the sorbent sheets/laminates in 1-by-1-foot-size, which will then be integrated with a microwave heater. The resulting bench-scale sorbent reactor module will be evaluated at TDA using simulated NGCC flue gas. Schlumberger and GE Gas Power will assist with assessing the technical and commercial viability of the technology for capturing CO₂ from NGCC flue gas.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in collaboration with the University of Kentucky (UKy), Bechtel, and Vogt Power, will conduct a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for UKy’s solvent-agnostic, low-cost carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture process retrofitted to Louisville Gas & Electric Kentucky Utilities (LG&E-KU) Cane Run #7 (CR7), a commercially operating natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power generation unit. The process will capture approximately 1,700,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year at a greater than 95% capture rate, suitable for permanent geologic CO₂ storage along the Ohio River corridor. The CR7 unit is representative of power plants in the Midwest and Midsouth, where intermittent renewable power and geographical storage for CO₂ is limited. Although UKy’s CO₂ capture process is solvent-agnostic, an optimized aqueous amine solvent developed by UKy will be considered for this study.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Prairie Research Institute and Covanta Corporation will design, build, and operate a pilot-scale carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture system at a Covanta waste-to-energy (WTE) facility that combusts municipal solid waste (MSW) to generate steam for the City of Indianapolis. The University of Illinois' transformational biphasic solvent-based CO₂ absorption process (BiCAP) technology was previously tested at a 0.7 tonne CO₂/day scale on coal-derived flue gas at the Abbott Power Plant located on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. In this project, the technology will be scaled up to capture 2.5 tonnes CO₂/day from combustion flue gas at the WTE facility, and the pilot unit will be designed to maintain a capture efficiency of ≥ 95% and produce CO₂ with ≥ 95% purity. The project will assess the economic and environmental performance of the technology and the potential net-negative CO₂ emissions associated with energy production from burning MSW when carbon capture is incorporated. The impact of the project on environmental justice and the regional economy will be analyzed, and a workforce readiness plan will be developed.

Gas Technology Institute (GTI) and their sub-recipient University at Buffalo (UB) are developing a transformational membrane process for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture from natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants. The objectives of this project are to: (1) develop a transformational membrane technology capturing CO₂ with 97% or greater efficiency from NGCC flue gas; and (2) demonstrate significant progress toward a 40% reduction in the cost of CO₂ capture versus a reference NGCC power plant for the same carbon capture efficiency.

Dastur International Inc., in collaboration with Air Liquide Large Industries US LP and Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions US Inc., will perform a front-end-engineering design (FEED) study for a commercial-scale carbon capture system (CCS) that separates 95% of the total carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions with at least 95% purity from an existing steam methane reformer (SMR) facility in the U.S. Gulf Coast. The carbon capture system is Air Liquide’s proprietary Cryocap^TM Flue Gases (FG) process. The integration of the Cryocap FG technology to the existing SMR would enable CO₂ capture of 900,000 metric tons per year, with a net carbon capture rate of greater than 95% and with minimum impact on the levelized cost of hydrogen produced at 99.97% purity. It is expected that the captured CO₂ would be transported and stored in a nearby geologic formation, as the surrounding region is well known to be highly suitable for long-duration, high-security storage of CO₂ in deep saline formations.

RTI International, with CEMEX Inc., Schlumberger, and KBR Inc., will perform a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture from the CEMEX Balcones Cement Plant flue gas in New Braunfels, TX. The project will utilize RTI’s non-aqueous solvent (NAS) capture technology. The specific goal of the project is to complete the FEED study of an integrated 1.6 million tonnes-CO₂/yr capture system with 95% capture efficiency at CEMEX’s cement plant. The results of the FEED study will enable better understanding of the capital costs and cost of CO₂ capture of the commercial-scale system from an Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) Class 3 estimate.

Electricore and partner Air Liquide will complete a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for a commercial-scale advanced carbon capture system that would separate carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from an existing steam methane reforming (SMR) facility in South Texas. The proposed carbon capture system is a combination of Air Liquide’s Cryocap^TM hydrogen (H₂) technology and a solvent-based post-combustion technology system. The capture system will have a net-carbon capture efficiency of greater than 95% and a minimum impact on the levelized cost of H₂ produced at a minimum of 99.97% purity. The FEED study will include the design and optimization of the proposed plant and several environmental, technical, and cost assessments.

The University of Illinois, in partnership with Air Liquide, Visage Energy Corporation, Hatch Associates Consultants Inc., Midrex Technologies Inc., ArcelorMittal, and voestalpine Texas LLC, will complete a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for retrofitting an ironmaking plant with carbon capture technology. The design will employ Air Liquide’s pressure swing adsorption-assisted Cryocap™ technology to capture 95% of the total carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions at the ArcelorMittal Texas Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) facility, which emits approximately 1 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. In addition to developing a detailed engineering design package, the team will complete analyses of the capital and operating costs, business case, life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, environmental health and safety risks, environmental justice, and economic revitalization and job creation outcomes of implementing the project.

This project will independently evaluate the technical and economic feasibility for high-rate post-combustion carbon capture technology. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) will partner with ION Clean Energy (ION) to conduct a comprehensive analysis for the ICE-31 solvent-based high-rate carbon capture technology developed by ION to achieve very high carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture efficiency from fossil fuel combustion (i.e., up to 99% efficiency and a goal of reaching 99.5%), particularly for natural gas-derived flue gases. LLNL will evaluate the ICE-31 solvent-based post-combustion carbon capture technology from experimental, process modeling, and techno-economic assessment perspectives.

This project will assess Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) advanced structured 3D-printed triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) packing technology for solvent-based carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC). LLNL will validate advanced packing performance in NCCC’s Slipstream Solvent Test Unit at a scale two orders of magnitude greater than prior work. LLNL will de-risk this technology by assessing hydrodynamic performance and validating mass transfer improvements achieved in lab-scale tests. A techno-economic assessment combined with technology transfer activities will establish viability of commercialization.

The Ohio State University (OSU) is further progressing their Gen III membrane technology through engineering-scale testing with natural gas flue gas. The objectives of this project are to (1) repurpose and modify an existing engineering-scale skid for a 5-tonne-per-day engineering-scale carbon capture system using OSU’s transformational membrane in commercial-size, spiral-wound membrane modules; (2) conduct field-testing on natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) flue gas and demonstrate a continuous, steady-state operation for a minimum of two months; and (3) gather necessary data for further process scale-up. The goal is to achieve the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) transformational carbon capture performance target of 95% carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture with greater than or equal to 95% CO₂ purity from NGCC power plant flue gas and demonstrate significant progress toward a 30% reduction in the cost of carbon capture versus the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) baseline approach.

The Ohio State University (OSU) is further progressing their third-generation (Gen III) membrane technology through engineering-scale testing with cement flue gas. In previous testing with simulated cement kiln flue gas, OSU’s Gen III membrane exhibited high carbon dioxide (CO₂) permeance and CO₂/nitrogen (N₂) selectivity. The superior performance is based on a facilitated transport mechanism, in which a reversible CO₂ reaction with the fixed-site and mobile carriers in the membrane enhances the CO₂/N₂ separation. The objectives of this project are to (1) design and build a 3-tonne-per-day engineering-scale carbon capture system using OSU’s transformational membrane in commercial-size, spiral-wound membrane modules; (2) conduct field-testing on real cement flue gas at Holcim US’ Holly Hill plant and demonstrate a continuous, steady-state operation for a minimum of two months; and (3) gather necessary data for further process scale-up. The overall goal is to achieve the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) transformational carbon capture performance target of 95% CO₂ capture with greater than or equal to 95% CO₂ purity from industrial process streams and demonstrate the economic viability of the proposed technology.

The University of Utah, in collaboration with the University of Oklahoma, will perform a conceptual design study and laboratory validation of an oxygen-based chemical looping approach to ethylene production. The project team plans to design, analyze and validate a novel bifunctional concept that utilizes the perovskite-based oxide (Na-doped LaMnO3-delta) as an oxygen carrier, which can be employed to produce chemicals and mitigate carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in both the reduction and oxidation steps. The concept design and experimental validation work will advance the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from three to four.

Ohio State University, in partnership with Babcock and Wilcox and Cleveland Cliffs, aims to decarbonize iron production in a direct reduction of iron (DRI) plant by integrating the biomass chemical looping (BCL) technology for syngas generation from carbon-neutral biomass feedstocks with in situ carbon capture. The overall project objective of Phase 1 is to undertake detailed conceptual design studies involving comprehensive process simulations, a preliminary techno-economic analysis (TEA), and a preliminary life cycle analysis (LCA) of the integrated BCL-DRI process. Bench-scale experiments will be conducted to generate scale-up data for the BCL-DRI plant. A thorough comparison of iron production using the BCL-DRI technology will be made against the existing MIDREX® process to assess both the cost-benefit and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduction potential offered by the process, thus allowing the stakeholders to make an informed decision regarding the carbon intensity of the product and market potential of the technology. The BCL-DRI process is currently a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3; Phase 1 studies will establish the feasibility of the technology for a subpilot demonstration during Phase 2, which is expected to increase the TRL to 4.

The overall objective of this project is to validate the environmental and economic attractiveness of North Carolina State University’s chemical looping–oxidative dehydrogenation (CL-ODH) technology via detailed techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle analysis (LCA). The CL-ODH process has the potential for significant reductions in energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the production of ethylene compared to the state-of-the-art ethane cracking process. The TEA and LCA work will primarily be built upon extensive experimental data obtained from a robust redox catalyst (1,400+ cycles in a fluidized bed) and a circulating fluidized bed design based on previous cold model studies. During Phase I, the project team will validate the performance of a new generation of redox catalyst, which will further improve the product selectivity and determine the catalyst’s impact on the process economics and emissions. The target is to achieve greater than 99.5% CO₂ emissions reduction when compared to state-of-the-art thermal cracking technology while reducing the cost of ethylene by greater than 23%. During the Phase I work, the team will also develop a detailed plan for Phase II, which will involve long-term experimental validation of the CL-ODH technology to ready it for pilot-scale demonstration.

GTI Energy will partner with U.S. Steel Corporation to advance the ROTA-CAP™ carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture system to pilot scale (3 tonnes of CO₂ captured/day). The project objectives are to design, build and operate an engineering-scale plant at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson industrial iron and steel production facility in Braddock, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The project will be supported by Holcim US Inc., Enbridge Gas Inc., and Low Emission Technology Australia (LETA), with a goal to demonstrate that the capture system captures 95% of the CO₂ from the industrial gas slipstream and produces a 95% pure CO₂ stream. GTI Energy has completed more than 1,600 hours of testing with their skid-scale (1-tonne CO₂/day) ROTA-CAP system at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC), with feed gas varying from 4% to 22% CO₂, exhibiting up to 95% capture efficiency.

The project will be executed in three phases: (1) design and size the major equipment for the process, as well as finalize host-site agreements and any required environmental or operational permits; (2) procure all equipment and construct and commission the engineering-scale system; and (3) operate the engineering-scale plant for at least two continuous months, followed by decommissioning and restoration of the host site. The project will continually update techno-economic and environmental, safety and health analyses in parallel with the work.

In Phase 1 of this project, Electricore Inc. will partner with Carmeuse Lime Inc. and FLSmidth Inc. to perform a conceptual design of an oxyfuel combustion system for the retrofitting of existing rotary lime kilns that will enhance energy efficiency and reduce the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of lime production. This conceptual design and feasibility study involves evaluating the mathematical model of a rotary lime kiln with oxyfuel combustion, based on a 450-ton-per-day kiln design and associated operating conditions; performing simulations to evaluate the impact of oxyfuel combustion on the product quality, energy consumption, stack gas composition and CO₂ emissions of the kiln; identifying the technical challenges and potential solutions for retrofitting oxyfuel combustion to the kiln, such as oxygen supply, fuel injection, flame stability, refractory materials, flue gas recirculation and process control; and estimating the economic feasibility and environmental benefits of implementing oxyfuel combustion to the kiln, considering the capital and operating costs, fuel savings and CO₂ capture potential.

Catalytic and Redox Solutions, in partnership with North Carolina State University and West Virginia University, is targeting the decarbonization of the aromatic chemical production industry (e.g., benzene, toluene, xylene). The project team will continue developing the oxidative coupling-dehydroaromatization (OC-DHA) approach to convert methane into aromatics. The four main project objectives are to: (i) create refined process models of the system based upon preliminary data; (ii) develop a plant design with unit sizing to act as a basis for costing and techno-economic analysis (TEA) indicating a greater than or equal to 15% reduction in the cost of aromatics compared to a current state-of-the-art, retrofit, carbon capture approach; (iii) use mass and energy balances to develop a preliminary life cycle analysis (LCA) of the system, as well as a compelling baseline case to validate the potential for 95% reduction in net carbon emissions relative to an unmitigated industrial process that generates the same quantity of the product; and (iv) develop a technology gap analysis (TGA) and related Phase 2 scope of work to address these gaps.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will perform temporally and spatially resolved measurements of carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations inside operating solid sorbent CO₂ capture devices with spatially resolved capillary inlet mass spectrometry (SpaciMS) to elucidate sorption and desorption processes and generate datasets for model calibration and validation. Solid sorbent materials for both direct air capture (DAC) and point-source CO₂ capture applications are currently being developed, evaluated, and scaled up for demonstration and deployment. In certain applications, solid CO₂ sorbents are coated onto ceramic flow-through monoliths or in fiber beds. SpaciMS provides a powerful tool to measure CO₂ concentration profiles inside such devices under actual operating conditions. These measurements will yield valuable insights into the CO₂ capture and release processes as a function of operating conditions, such as temperature, pressure, flow rate and gas composition. Furthermore, they will provide critical datasets for use in calibration and validation of capture device models, which will be needed to design scaled-up systems. Finally, SpaciMS will reveal how common pollutants found in ambient air (for DAC) or flue gas (for point-source capture) might impact device performance as they block CO₂ storage sites or key reaction pathways.

Reaction Engineering International (REI) will deliver a novel, machine learning (ML)-based tool that can predict emissions for solvent-based carbon capture systems. The software will take advantage of significant investments by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in carbon dioxide (CO₂) control system modeling and economic analysis, while allowing nonexpert users to evaluate various decarbonization scenarios. The proposed model framework will naturally integrate with ongoing development efforts for DOE’s Institute for Design of Advanced Energy Systems (IDAES) software. The proposed effort will focus on the development and validation of an ML model for predicting emissions from plants with CO₂ capture technology based on amine-based solvents. The specific technical objectives for the Phase I research and development include: (1) developing and validating an ML model for predicting emissions using historic test campaign data, including operating parameters; (2) demonstrating the ability of the ML model to operate in a real-time environment within a plant’s control system; (3) demonstrating the ML model as part of an advanced, hybrid power systems decision-making framework that REI is currently developing.

Susteon Inc. is performing an engineering-scale test of SUSTENOL™, its carbon capture solvent, at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) under real natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) flue gas conditions using the 0.5-megawatt-electric (MWe) pilot-scale solvent test unit (PSTU). The aim is to confirm and validate its carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture performance (greater than 95% CO₂ capture), thermal and oxidative stability, and low-solvent emissions in preparation for commercial demonstration and deployment. A techno-economic analysis will be performed by Trimeric and an environmental health and safety assessment will be completed by EI Group Inc.

Polaron Technologies Inc. will develop the “PREMAM” module, utilizing deep-learning techniques such as recurrent neural networks (RNNs) to forecast amine emissions from the host site and carbon capture processes in industrial and power generation plants. The project will involve constructing a robust forecasting model integrating time‐dependent process and emissions data, employing techniques such as Stacked long short-term memory networks (LSTM), Bi‐directional LSTM, and Convolutional LSTM. By prioritizing causal impact analysis, Polaron will assess emissions influences under different conditions and explore mitigation strategies using “what‐if” scenarios, leveraging data from the CESAR1 solvent testing campaign at Technology Center Mongstad (TCM) under different parametric tests. During Phase 1, Polaron aims to develop PREMAM, a data‐centric module, for forecasting amine emissions in carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture plants utilizing solvent-based systems. The project will integrate historical and present operational data and employ deep-learning techniques to construct a robust forecasting model under various operational scenarios. Polaron also plans to integrate the developed module into their in‐house data analytics platform, MatVerse.

Calpine California CCUS Holdings LLC (Calpine) will conduct a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for a post-combustion carbon capture system at the Pastoria Energy Facility (PEF) in Bakersfield, California. The PEF complex includes two separate natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) facilities, or power blocks. The carbon capture system will be sized to process all carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from power block 1 (PB1) — approximately 1.84 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) net CO₂ — using Honeywell UOP’s (UOP) Generation Two amine solvent-based technology, Advanced Solvent Carbon Capture (ASCC). The project team will conduct a FEED study, including developing the project scope and design, project design basis, engineering design package, and project cost estimate, and will perform a hazard operability review and engineering optimization studies aimed at optimizing the capital and operating costs for the facility.

Membrane Technology and Research Inc. and project partners will design, build and operate a transformational engineering-scale hybrid membrane-sorbent carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture system at the St. Marys Cement plant located in Charlevoix, Michigan. The system contains two stages of membranes: the primary capture first-stage and the CO₂-enrichment second stage. A second-step sorbent provides polishing to remove additional CO₂ for deep decarbonization. The system will capture 3 tonnes per day (TPD) of CO₂ over a six-month test campaign. The project will show that greater than 95% CO₂ capture can be accomplished affordably while providing environmental and health benefits to society.