New carbon dioxide recovery equipment claims to reduce emissions by 90%

Through their joint research, MHI and KEPCO hope to develop two large plants with this technology, which they say will be capable of recovering 2000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide daily.

The CO2 will be recovered from combustion flue gas from industrial facilities, such as a thermal power plant. The plants will then recycle the carbon dioxide in processes such as enhanced oil recovery, and in the chemical production of chemicals like methanol and urea.

“Power plant and other industries such as oil refining produce 50% of global CO2 emissions, and it is the object of KEPCO/MHI carbon dioxide recovery technology to recover this gas from these sources,” a spokesperson for MHI told edie.

Given that the technology is already “developed and proven” the spokesperson told edie, discussions of sale are underway with clients for these applications. MHI and KEPCO hope to sell one plant to Middle Eastern clients, who would make use of the technology in the production of crude oil.

As well as benefiting the environment in helping to reduce global warming from these technologies, these companies also make financial gains through their reduction of CO2 emissions. By 2010 MHI hopes to develop a plant with the capacity to recover 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide daily.

Story by Sorcha Clifford