Resource management company Veolia and Sheffield City Council have launched a trial of a next-generation carbon capture system at the Sheffield Energy Recovery Facility (ERF), marking a UK first for the waste sector.
The demonstration project tests a novel non-amine solvent developed by clean tech firm C-Capture and the University of Leeds, offering an alternative to traditional amine-based capture systems.
Currently capturing up to one metric ton of CO2 per day from the facility’s flue gas, the modular technology absorbs carbon before it enters the atmosphere, using a solvent designed for efficient regeneration and reuse.
Part of Veolia’s broader GreenUp strategic program, the trial aims to evaluate lower-cost, safer, and more energy-efficient carbon capture solutions for hard-to-abate industrial emissions.
Decarbonizing Dispersed Assets Outside Primary Carbon Clusters
While the UK government has committed £21.7 billion ($29.2 billion) over 25 years to support carbon capture infrastructure, funding remains heavily concentrated around designated industrial carbon clusters.
Veolia noted that with over half of the UK’s emissions occurring outside these clusters, deploying scalable, non-amine technologies could prove crucial for decarbonizing land-locked and dispersed assets across the country.
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The captured CO2 will initially be released during testing to validate performance, with the two-year trial aiming to establish a commercial blueprint for capturing, storing, and utilizing carbon from local waste facilities.
Donald Macphail, Chief Operating Officer for Treatment at Veolia UK, emphasized that the technology is designed to complement wider circular economy efforts.
“Carbon capture is one of the tools available to help decarbonise residual emissions where they cannot yet be avoided,” Macphail said. “However, achieving net zero also requires continued progress in waste prevention, recycling and circular economy solutions to reduce emissions at source.”
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