Sneak Preview: Mobile Test Unit for Carbon Capture at Waste Management Company, AVR

AVR Mobile Testing Unit

In 2024, CarbonOrO will use the pictured Mobile Testing Unit (MTU) for a pilot at AVR, a Dutch waste management company. The MTU will have a capacity of 10 kt/yr CO₂ and will be capturing carbon directly from AVR’s waste incinerator in Duiven, the Netherlands.

AVR was the first company in Northwestern Europe to realise a CCUS-project at scale, selling now 60 kt/yr of CO₂ captured from its flue gasses to Dutch greenhouses.

This CarbonOrO pilot aims to demonstrate 3 key things:

1. Low energy consumption, or so-called reboiler duty of the CarbonOrO process, as roughly 1/3 below that of other commercially available solvents.
2. Low amine emissions levels.
3. Reduced amine degradation due to:
   • Lower operating temperatures: In scientific literature, 120˚C is seen as a temperature threshold for thermal degradation of amines. The CarbonOrO process operates below 120˚C, where prevailing amine systems typically operate in the 130 -140˚C range.
   • Oxidative degradation: Laboratory tests show that the CarbonOrO solvent outperforms other solvents by a factor 3-4.
   • Engineering features: Several unique engineering features aimed at reducing oxygen/amine contacts that spur oxidative degradation.

One of the key and visible advantages of CarbonOrO technology is its small footprint. The MTU covers only four 20 ft container frames, less than 70m² in total.  The small footprint is related to the performance of CarbonOrO’s proprietary bi-phasic amine solvent with unique CO₂ loading characteristics.

AVR Afvalverwerking, part of CK Hutchison Holdings , is the largest Dutch waste management company. AVR was the first company in Northwestern Europe to realise a CCUS-project at scale, selling now 60 kt/yr of CO₂ captured from its flue gasses to Dutch greenhouses. The project between AVR and CarbonOrO will demonstrate its carbon capture technology at the AVR waste-to-energy plant in Duiven, the Netherlands.

The pilot at AVR will pave the way for full-scale deployment of CarbonOrO’s technology. Working from the MTU-design, using only off-the-shelf parts and in partnerships with established subcontractors, CarbonOrO anticipates serial production of standardized and modular units ranging from 10-100 kt/yr of CO₂ capture capacity.

In parallel, CarbonOrO will further explore joint work with EPC-contractors and licensing models for (bigger) bespoke installations.