The decarbonization of the economy is one of society’s main challenges, as described in SDG 13 of the United Nations Global Compact. To meet this challenge, AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, coordinates the European CARMOF project, which aims to develop efficient industrial carbon capture technologies that help reduce greenhouse gases emissions, which produce global warming.
When the project started in January 2018, carbon capture was not enough efficient due to the high power consumption required by the process. Since then, the CARMOF project is working on the construction of two innovative, customized industrial demonstrators that combine 3D-printed nanomaterial structures as solid sorbents with selective membranes for capturing and separating CO2. The demonstrators will be installed in two industrial facilities in Greece. One is a hydrogen production plant in the petrochemical industry and the other is a cement factory.
Because the hydrogen plant releases gases with a CO2 concentration of 17%, a capture capacity of 350 tonnes per year is anticipated. This installation will be automated and equipped with sensors so it can be run by remote control. The anticipated capacity of the cement factory is 91 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The 48-month project has received funding from the EU’s H2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation under grant agreement number 760884. A total of fifteen partners from nine countries will take part in the project. Its implementation is strategic for carbon capture for two reasons. In terms of the development of materials, researchers expect to increase the adsorption area as a means of improving efficiency. With regard to CO2 recovery, new, highly efficient technologies for heating are being developed based on the Joule effect.
