In an interview, Ecospray, an Italian company specialising in integrated solutions for decarbonisation, explains its role as a technical supplier in a groundbreaking pilot project to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from seawater.
Ecospray will provide CO2 liquefaction technologies to Captura, a US-based company founded at the California Institute of Technology, focused on carbon removal via the oceans.
Captura has partnered with Equinor to build a 1,000-tonne per year CO2 capture pilot system at Equinor’s processing facility in Kårstø, on the west coast of Norway.
Ecospray is scheduled to deliver the pilot’s CO2 liquefaction system Q3 2024.
The pilot will use Captura’s Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) technology to capture CO2 from seawater. Once captured, after the water removal, the CO2 will be liquefied and purified using Ecospray’s system, before being used for commissioning the Northern Lights facilities – the world’s first open-source CO2 transport and storage infrastructure.
Ecospray CO2 liquefaction is based on water removal, cooling and subsequently distilling the CO2, optimising energy consumption and concentration to obtain the required high-level purity.
The oceans absorb about 30% of global CO2 emissions and performs a valuable ’buffering’ action that limits global warming.
At the same time, the steady increase in CO2 produced by anthropogenic activities and the resulting increased uptake by the oceans are acidifying waters and interfering with ecosystems.
It is therefore essential to work on technologies that remove CO2 from the ocean and atmosphere. Captura’s DOC technology works in this direction.
"We are strongly committed to innovative and concretely revolutionary challenges," said Ecospray director of sales and marketing Giorgio Copelli. "The Captura project has all the characteristics of this. Ecospray is proud to be part of it as a technology provider. The capture of CO2 from seawater is an advancing area but one with great potential that can concretely support decarbonisation. Our liquefaction systems are flexible, and we operate in different sectors, always offering cutting-edge technologies. Being chosen for such a significant project is a great certificate of esteem from the market."
What specific challenges did Ecospray encounter when developing a CO2 liquefaction system tailored for Captura’s DOC technology?
Giorgio Copelli: “From a conceptual point of view, the Captura project is particularly significant because the carbon capture process is not applied on the combustion flue gas or on other anthropogenic activities but represents a true removal from the environment. This CO2 usually has different composition than an off-gas coming from an upgrading system (system used to convert biogas into biomethane). This composition requires attention in the cleaning phase to obtain the required quality. In this specific case, high water, nitrogen and oxygen concentrations were the main challenges."
Could you elaborate on the energy efficiency of Ecospray’s CO2 liquefaction system and how it optimises energy consumption during the liquefaction process?
“Energy efficiency is pursued in two ways: the search for the most efficient process (minimising the recirculation of streams) and the selection of the most efficient equipment (such as compressors or cooling systems). This combination, together with the focus on reducing emissions to protect the environment, is the mantra that drives Ecospray’s design.”
Given the unique characteristics of seawater-derived CO2, what adjustments or innovations were necessary to ensure the high purity of the liquefied CO2 produced by Ecospray’s system?
“The higher attention has been focused on the purification of the liquefied CO2, this has to be achieved with a specific configuration of the stripper tower, completely pre-assembled to be easily transported and to reduce to a minimum the activities during erection on site.”
How does Ecospray envision its role in the broader context of combating climate change, particularly in terms of scaling up CO2 capture and storage initiatives like the Captura project?
“Since its foundation, Ecospray has been committed to the fight against climate change by developing solutions for air pollution control (NOx and SOx removal), mainly with our EGCS systems for the marine environment. Today, Ecospray also provides solutions for direct carbon capture (scrubbing with amine, calcium hydroxide and soon molten carbonate fuel cells). These last technologies are complemented by Ecospray’s liquefaction solutions developed in recent years for the production of bioLNG, liquid CO2 and flare gas recovery. In particular, the liquefaction of CO2 allows an efficient transport of carbon dioxide. The Captura project is a 1,000-tonne per year pilot project that is expected to be scaled up to industrial scale.
We are currently working on other technological solutions for decarbonisation: they are at various stages of development and we will be able to provide more details in the coming months.”
Considering the potential impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems, what measures does Ecospray take to ensure its technology contributes positively to climate mitigation efforts without causing unintended harm to oceanic environments?
“We believe that CO2 liquefaction is currently one of the few solutions that can be applied to allow carbon sequestration. Other methods are less efficient (compression) or more carbon intensive (construction of dedicated pipelines that requires civil works, steel production, etc). Considering that the Ecospray technology requires only power to operate without additional utilities (water, heat, disposable cooling media, etc), the impact on the environment (either oceanic or terrestrial) is significantly reduced.”
source: rivieramm.com
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