Nuada’s pilot plant has commenced operations, capturing CO2 emissions from the stack of Buzzi Unicem’s cement facility in Monselice, Italy
Nuada, a UK-based carbon capture technology provider, has announced the launch of its pilot plant operation at Buzzi Unicem’s cement facility in Monselice, Italy. Buzzi, an Italian cement company with global operations, is trialling Nuada’s advanced carbon capture technology as a solution to produce low-carbon cement, leading the way in cement industry decarbonisation.
This pilot project marks a milestone in carbon capture innovation demonstrating the performance of Nuada’s next-generation technology within a cement manufacturing setting Nuada has developed an energy-efficient carbon capture solution by combining advanced solid sorbents named Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) with a mature vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) process. This innovative, electrically powered system separates CO2 from industrial flue gases using pressure instead of heat and offers a promising approach to overcoming the energy, cost, and integration challenges associated with deploying traditional carbon capture solutions in industry.
“We are deploying the most energy-efficient carbon capture technology developed to date, a solution that redefines the decarbonisation landscape for hard-to-abate sectors like cement,” said Dr. Conor Hamill, Co-CEO of Nuada. Dr. Jose Casaban, Co-CEO of Nuada added “This plant demonstrates the robustness, scalability and game-changing benefits of our innovative capture system. Together with Buzzi, we are demonstrating the future of carbon capture in cement.”
This MOF-based VPSA carbon capture plant is fully operational now, capturing 1 tonne of CO2 per day from cement flue gas. The project is backed by the Global Concrete and Cement Association (GCCA) and was initiated through GCCA’s Innovandi Open Challenge programme, an initiative that fosters collaborations between major cement producers and innovative technology providers to decarbonise cement production. The cement sector currently accounts for 7% of global carbon emissions, and according to the GCCA’s Net Zero Roadmap, carbon capture is the main decarbonisation lever.
“Our company has always been at the forefront of technology and search for innovative solutions” said Luigi Buzzi, CTO at Buzzi. “We are excited to host Nuada’s advanced carbon capture technology and start the pilot test campaign in Monselice: we look forward to confirm the high expectations that Nuada technology can play a leading role in the cement industry’s decarbonization journey”
Buzzi confirms his willingness to delve deeper into this and other technical issues, to raise awareness among the community of the efforts made towards the ambitious goal of Net Zero, i.e. carbon neutrality, set for 2050.
