The future of CO₂ comes out of the lab

Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources Peter Batchelor has launched the CO2CRC/HRL Mulgrave Capture Project at HRL’s gasifier research facility at Mulgrave in Melbourne, Victoria.

The Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) has commissioned three CO₂ capture research rigs with the aim of reducing CO₂ emissions from the next generation of high-efficiency coal gasification power stations.

“The CO2CRC rigs will capture CO₂ from syngas, the product of the brown coal gasifier, using three
new technologies,” said Barry Hooper, Chief Technologist of the CO2CRC.

“These capture technologies are equally applicable to syngas from brown and black coal, gas or biomass fuels.”

Advanced gasifier technologies are highly suitable for CCS capture as they produce a concentrated stream of CO₂. During the project, researchers will evaluate solvent, membrane and adsorbent technologies for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

“Our key objective is to reduce the technical risk and cost of capturing CO₂ from the next generation of coal gasification power stations,” said Hooper.

“Projects such as this can also demonstrate that CCS is not only possible but practical.

“It’s an exciting step up from lab research and will allow CO2CRC researchers from the University of Melbourne and Monash University to undertake applied research in an industrial environment.”

The project is part of CO2CRC’s CO₂ capture research program, one of the world’s most comprehensive. Australian CCS research is part of an international drive to make deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions by capturing and storing CO₂ from major sources such as power stations.

The project has been supported by the Victorian government, through Energy Technology Innovation Strategy (ETIS) funding. CO2CRC is supported through the Australian government’s CRC Program.