Pentair Propels Carbon Emissions Reduction Momentum in the UK
Pentair and Tata Chemicals Europe complete the United Kingdom’s first[1] industrial-scale carbon capture and utilization plant, designed to capture the equivalent emissions of 20,000 UK cars[2].
London, United Kingdom (June 27, 2022) – Pentair, a specialist in the capture, recovery, and purification of CO2 for carbon utilization and storage, together with chemicals specialist Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE), proudly announce the opening of the United Kingdom’s (UK) first industrial scale Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) plant in Northwich, United Kingdom.
Designed with the capacity to capture 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, the TCE carbon capture and utilization plant is taking the equivalent of over 20,000 cars off the road in the UK.
The CCU plant will see TCE taking a leading role in helping prove that this technology can help the UK reach its net-zero goal[3] in reducing 100% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and ensuring ongoing emissions are balanced.
In 2021, Pentair supplied its customers CO2 Recovery solutions that had the capacity to recover 7.48 million metric ton (MT) annually. With over 80 years of expertise in carbon capture and an installed base of more than 2000 CO2 plants and 300 amine plants globally, Pentair was chosen to handle this exciting carbon capture utilization initiative. The project came to fruition last Friday, 24th June, at the plant’s official opening in the presence of local Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom, Mike Amesbury.
Roland Folz, Pentair President of Industrial Solutions, commented: “At Pentair, we strive to make the planet better through the solutions we offer. We are proud and excited to work with Tata Chemicals Europe to realize a solution that will deliver tangible results for them and the wider community’s future. We believe this plant will help bring us one step closer to tackling global carbon emissions in a forward-thinking, sustainable way.”
The plant will enable TCE to reduce its carbon emissions by capturing CO2 from its combined heat and power (CHP) system’s emissions and then use the captured CO2 as a raw material in the production of sodium bicarbonate, known as EcoKarb®.
CO2 is a key ingredient in high-grade sodium bicarbonate, which is most often used in the pharmaceutical sector and for hemodialysis, a type of treatment for kidney failure. The Pentair CCU plant will substantially reduce CO2 supply risk for Tata Chemicals Europe, as CO2 is a crucial raw material for the production of EcoKarb®.
“We worked closely with Pentair to develop a unique solution to capture carbon dioxide emissions that are then recycled to produce sodium bicarbonate. The official opening of the plant celebrates a major milestone in Tata Chemicals Europe’s journey to reducing carbon emissions from our operations with the carbon capture plant reducing our emissions by approximately 10% at our CHP plant. The solution we have created with Pentair demonstrate that innovation and technology can meet industrial challenges like our own.” comments Martin Ashcroft, Managing Director at Tata Chemicals Europe.
The plant is based on Pentair’s Advanced Amine Technology (AAT), which captures CO2 from any flue gas, including non-power generated sources. Patented Pentair NOxFlash Technology helps remove the risk of contaminating the liquid CO2 with impurities like nitrogen oxide (NOx).
The resulting product is a CO2 liquid with a purity of more than 99.999%, utilizing a calculation methodology developed by the European Industrial Gases Association (EIGA)[4].
[1] “The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution”, HM Government, date accessed 24th May 2022, date published November 2020, Pg. 23 Read More[2]
The Pentair Carbon Capture plant installed at Tata Chemicals Europe Northwich, UK site is designed to process 115 tons of carbon dioxide per day.
The equivalent number of cars is calculated using:The average CO2 emissions per kilometre of new cars registered in the UK since 2015:”New Car Carbon Dioxide Emissions, DfT Business Plan”, Department for Transport, Gov.UK, data accessed 15th June 2022, Date Published 12 December 2013, Last Updated 15th July 2015, Read More. The average distance travelled per car per year in the UK in 2018 using data from the UK Department of Transport: nts0901.ods (live.com) Last accessed 15th June 2022. 2018 as base year as 2019-2021 data is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that would potentially overstate the equivalent number of cars taken off the road in the UK as each car travelled fewer kilometres in this period.[3] “Climate change targets: the road to net zero?”, UK Parliament, House of Lords Library, date accessed 9th June, 2022, date published 24th May, 2021, Read More[4] “Minimum Specifications for Food Gas Applications”, European Industrial Gases Association, date accessed 20th June 2022, published 2020, Pp. 2 & 4, Read More