Carbon Capture Scotland (CCSL) has announced that it will capture and re-use green CO2 from biomethane anaerobic digestion (AD) plants based in the UK – owned and operated by Iona Capital (Iona), a specialist investment manager.
The recent agreement strengthens an already existing partnership, with the duo having previously collaborated at Iona’s Crofthead AD/biogas plant in Dumfries, Southwest Scotland, which according to CCSL, is the first and only biomethane facility in Scotland to operate with carbon capture.
CO2 released by the site is subsequently captured by CCSL’s plant that is located next to Crofthead. This is then used to produce dry ice for commercial use.
“The utilization of CO2 generated from farm waste and crops is yet another demonstration of how AD contributes to a sustainable low carbon future and the circular economy,” said Alex Todhunter, investment manager, Iona.
Most commonly, industrial CO2 is produced as a by-product of ammonia production, with 80% of it being used in agriculture as fertilizer. At present, the energy-intensive ammonia production process accounts for approximately 2% of annual global CO2 emissions.
“CCSL’s partnership with Iona will accelerate our business growth in our home market of Scotland and further afield,” said Richard Nimmons, director, CCSL. “Importantly, it represents a scalable framework for clean, measurable carbon removal that brings us closer to our goal of removing one million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year.”
Despite continued efficiency gains in fertilizer use, the International Energy Agency (IEA)
anticipates that there will be a growing demand for increased ammonia production, despite governments working towards reaching Net Zero targets.
“The world will need more ammonia but cannot afford the emissions that come with its production,” said Timur Gül, head of the Energy Technology Policy Division, IEA.”
To combat these challenges, the IEA and the International Fertiliser Association worked together to develop a roadmap for the ammonia industry. The so-called Ammonia Technology Roadmap examines three possible futures for ammonia production.