Norway tests CCS for waste-to-energy

Aker Solutions has started a five-month test to capture the carbon dioxide emissions from the Klemetsrud plant in Oslo

The world’s first carbon capture and storage solution for a waste-to-energy plant is to be fitted to a plant in Norway.

Oil and gas supplier Aker Solutions has started a five-month test to capture the carbon dioxide emissions from the Klemetsrud plant in Oslo. The project aims to prove that the company’s amine-based CO₂ capture technology can be commercially applied to the waste sector.

The test uses a mixture of water and organic amine solvents to absorb the CO₂. The flue gas released from Klemetsrud contains about 10% CO₂ and is treated
in several steps before it enters the
mobile unit. 

The CO₂ captured at the plant will be transported and kept in geological stores in the North Sea, as part of plans for a wider Norwegian government carbon capture and storage (CCS) project.

Oscar Graff, head of CCS at Aker Solutions, said: “We have been developing a robust amine solvent to handle the challenging flue gas at waste-to-energy plants. We successfully ran a similar test for the cement industry, completed in October, and have already seen early successful results at the Klemetsrud plant.”

The Klemetsrud plant emits about 300,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year. Initial results from the mobile unit used in the tests show it captured 90% of the CO₂. 

Graff said: “You will have variation in the composition of the flue gas over the production day, depending on the waste being burnt. Over the next five months we will learn more about the flue gas at Klemetsrud and see how we can optimise our process and verify parameters such as energy consumption, solvent degradation, losses and required solvent make-up.”

Aker Solutions will also carry out a feasibility study for a large-scale, permanent CCS system at the Klemetsrud plant, which will be delivered in May. 

Valborg Lundegaard, head of Aker Solutions’ engineering business, said that the project was of international importance because of its ability to curb carbon emissions. “We see potential in this market across the world. There are 450 waste-to-energy plants in Europe and 700 globally.”