ConsenCUS: Denmark launches demonstration campaign
ConsenCUS has inaugurated its innovative electrochemical CO2 capture and conversion demonstration plant in Aalborg, Denmark, on the site of the Aalborg Portland cement plant. A very special delegation, consisting of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik, the EU Commissioner for Energy, Ms. Kadri Simson, and the Danish Minister for Energy, Climate and Utilities, Mr. Lars Aagaard, inaugurated the demonstration plant during a special ceremony. The inauguration took place during the international CCUS Forum, which will be held in Aalborg, Denmark, on November 27-28, 2023. The high-profile delegation present at today's ceremony underscores the increasing emphasis on CCUS developments, which are necessary to achieve our climate goals.
ConsenCUS, which launched in 2021, is a four-year innovation and demonstration project funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 program under grant number 101022484. The project aims to demonstrate a novel technology that can capture carbon emissions from hard-to-degrade sectors using only electricity. The project combines an electrochemical CO2 capture and regeneration unit that captures CO2 from industrial flue gases. In a second unit, the CO2 is converted into useful chemicals such as formic acid. The use of renewable electricity allows for a reduced footprint of the capture and conversion processes. With this, ConsenCUS aims to contribute to the European Union's climate goals of achieving net-zero emissions.
On November 27, the demonstration plant was inaugurated during a short ceremony. The delegation is in Aalborg, Denmark, for the 3rd International CCUS FORUM. The CCUS FORUM is a robust stakeholder consultation platform established by the European Commission in 2021. It aims to bring together representatives from the EU institutions, the EU and third countries, NGOs, business leaders, and academia to facilitate the deployment of CCUS technologies.
Following the demonstration of the system at the Aalborg Portland cement plant, further test results are being collected from its use in two other industries: the OMV Petrom oil refinery near Ploiesti, Romania, and the Grecian Magnesite plant in Yerakini, Greece. All three industries are committed to contributing to the development of technologies that can capture hard-to-remove carbon emissions.
Besides demonstrating the innovative technology in various industrial settings, ConsenCUS activities also focus on modeling cyclical CO2 storage in subsurface reservoirs, the techno-economic impact of the innovation in the three industrial value chains, life cycle assessment, and the design of CO2 clusters and value chains. Special attention is also paid to societal engagement and the impact of CCUS on communities.
About ConsenCUS
Learn more about ConsenCUS at the project page or contact our project manager.