Verditek and partners reach 'key milestone' with CO2 capture tech

Clean technology firm Verditek announced on Wednesday that its group company Westec Environmental Solutions, along with Norway's largest research institute for energy and climate technology SINTEF and the Carbon Capture & Conversion Institute - one of Canada's CMC Research Institutes- have reached a “key milestone” on a collaborative project to deliver a step-change improvement in CO2 capture technology efficiency.

The AIM-traded firm said the project, focussed on reducing the cost of capturing carbon from industrial processes, was being supported by the Norwegian state's carbon capture and storage enterprise Gassnova SF with a $2.2m matching grant through their CLIMIT Programme.

It said Westec’s patented absorption technology, which comprises a “uniquely developed” contactor, offered new solutions that optimised the mass transfer of gas and liquid for industrial emissions and control, and for CO2 capture.

Westec’s technology aimed to make CO2 capture affordable, the board explained, by delivering performance improvements that would translate into “significant” capital and operational cost savings for utility companies, refineries and cement kiln operators.

The pilot-scale project passed a key milestone on Wednesday, successfully completing the initial testing phase using independent testing at the SINTEF facility in Norway.

Verditek said the next and penultimate phase of the project would comprise solvent optimisation, process modelling, contactor optimisation, and pilot-scale validation, followed by scale-up to full industrial volumes.

As a result, Westec was discussing a possible licensing agreement of its technology with a Canadian customer.

“We are extremely pleased with the performance of the WES contactor technology, which validates the WES concept,” said Verditek chairman Geoff Nesbitt.

“The WES contactor delivers a significant performance improvement over conventional technologies.

“We look forward to the prospect of commercialising the WES technology through our potential licensing partner.”