enfinium, a leading UK energy-from-waste operator, has successfully launched the UK’s inaugural carbon capture pilot at an energy-from-waste site.
This groundbreaking initiative marks a significant milestone for the sector and aligns with enfinium’s broader plans to deploy carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology across its UK facilities, fostering large-scale carbon removals and supporting the UK’s Net Zero target.
The technology, a scaled-down version of the CCS technology enfinium could implement across its sites, was provided by Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI). The pilot, installed at enfinium’s Ferrybridge-1 energy-from-waste facility in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, is capturing one tonne of CO2 emissions daily from the plant’s operations.
The trial aims to demonstrate how this technology can be applied at scale across enfinium’s fleet of six energy-from-waste facilities, removing CO2 from the atmosphere. By collecting operational data on performance, such as CO2 capture rate and solvent degradation, the pilot will assess the effectiveness of different amine solvents. The trial is expected to run for at least 12 months.
Earlier this year, enfinium unveiled its Net Zero Transition Plan, outlining its strategy to decarbonize its operations and deliver up to 1.2 million tonnes of carbon removals annually by the 2030s. This plan is backed by an investment program of up to £1.7 billion, with a strong focus on investing in CCS technology across its energy-from-waste facilities to achieve large-scale carbon removals. The carbon capture pilot signifies a crucial step in enfinium’s journey toward delivering carbon removals, providing valuable insights for the future deployment and operation of CCS technology across its sites.
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Deploying CCS at energy-from-waste facilities generates durable carbon removals, or ‘negative emissions.’ Approximately 50% of unrecyclable waste produced by society comprises biogenic content, including organic material like waste food, plants, and paper, which has already absorbed CO2 from the atmosphere. By installing CCS technology at an energy-from-waste facility, this CO2 can be permanently captured and stored rather than released back into the atmosphere, resulting in a net carbon removal.
The Climate Change Committee’s Progress Report, published in July, emphasized the UK’s need to accelerate the production of carbon removals to stay on track to achieve Net Zero. Recent research by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies indicated that the energy-from-waste sector could contribute up to 8 million tonnes of carbon removals.
Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium, expressed pride in the successful launch of this sector-leading project at the Ferrybridge facility and said: “Carbon capture and storage technology is central to how the UK will be able to decarbonise its unrecyclable waste.”
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“CCS is also critical to generating carbon removals at scale so the UK can achieve Net Zero. Using carbon capture, the energy from waste sector can provide significant levels of carbon removals and enfinium, with the support of HZI, are taking steps now to achieve this.”
Olivia Powis, CEO of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, stated: “The launch of CCS at Ferrybridge is very exciting to see.”
“With millions of tonnes of unrecyclable waste produced by the UK, this is an important demonstration of the use of CCS to generate clean power via energy from waste, as well as providing a future route to establishing the UK’s greenhouse gas removal market and enfinium have taken a landmark step with its delivery. Through projects such as the one at Ferrybridge, the UK will be able to meet the clean power by 2030 target.”
