With an eye toward pioneering the UK’s inaugural large-scale carbon capture operation, Encyclis has initiated a pilot program, a critical step preceding the full-fledged deployment at their waste-to-energy site.
This preparatory phase aims to validate the technology earmarked for their Cheshire-based Protos Energy Recovery Facility (ERF).
Designated as a trailblazing project within Track-1 of the industrial decarbonization initiative, spearheaded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the Protos project is poised to set a new standard.
Before its implementation, a pilot plant is being established at Encyclis‘ Rookery South Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) in Bedfordshire.
This transient setup will serve to validate the engineering blueprint for the comprehensive system planned for Protos ERF.
In collaboration with Kanadevia Inova, a global specialist contractor, the pilot operation will process roughly one percent of the flue gases emitted from Rookery South ERF.
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This process aims to glean crucial performance data before the captured CO2 is reintroduced into the facility’s main system.
The data gathered will solidify the final specifications for the Protos facility, a landmark project in the UK.
At full operational capacity, this facility is projected to sequester approximately 370,000 metric tons of CO2 annually from the adjacent waste treatment plant, achieving permanent storage.
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Integrated within the HyNet North West cluster, the CO2 captured at the Protos plant will be channeled via pipeline to depleted gas reservoirs located beneath Liverpool Bay, ensuring its long-term containment.
Owen Michaelson, CEO of Encyclis, stated: “As a company, we provide essential social infrastructure to deal with society’s waste and recover as much energy and reusable resource from that as possible, in line with the circular economy.”
“With the unprecedented addition of commercial-scale carbon capture, we can not only cut carbon emissions from our operations but effectively remove CO2 from the atmosphere due to the non-fossil proportion of the waste we treat.”
