British Steel has started a trial to capture carbon emissions from its Scunthorpe plant using ground-breaking technology.
It has installed a mobile carbon capture pilot plant developed by the University of Sheffield that will extract carbon from the power station’s boiler flue.
Dr Andy Trowsdale, British Steel’s Head of Research and Development, said: “This project is all about testing the capabilities of the technology. If it works for us, and others, it could be scaled-up and play an important role in carbon capture, utilisation and storage.
“The trial, which has been approved by the Environment Agency, will demonstrate the technology’s potential. We’re excited to be working with the University of Sheffield and supporting such vital research.”
British Steel’s involvement is part of a wider project by the University of Sheffield which aims to capture waste gases from manufacturing industries like steel and glassmaking to generate an alternative source of carbon for consumer products.
The technology, called FluRefin, was developed by Professor Peter Styring and Dr George Dowson from the University of Sheffield in partnership with AESSEAL – the Rotherham-based seal manufacturer.
With the support of SUSTAIN, the future steel manufacturing research hub, the University team have created a carbon capture system that does not use environmentally hazardous chemicals and which is much cheaper and smaller than other carbon capture technologies.
British Steel is focused on transforming the manufacture of steel into a clean, green and sustainable business by embracing electric arc furnace technology.
While electrification of the steelmaking process will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by more than 75 per cent, the company is exploring routes to provide further reductions in CO2e intensity. This includes the development of technologies for capturing CO2 generated by other parts of its manufacturing operations.
To support this, and the development of the required technology, a has been installed at British Steel’s Central Power Station in Scunthorpe.
The plant has been
The CO2 captured at British Steel will be bottled in gas cylinders and transported back to the University of Sheffield where it will be converted into synthetic transport fuels.
Professor Peter Styring, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at the University of Sheffield, said: “We are excited to get our next generation carbon dioxide capture and refining technology on site. We look forward to being able to demonstrate a unique approach to further reducing British Steel’s CO2e emissions.”
