Trade press release
26 Sep 2023
GEA started up a carbon capture pilot plant at Phonenix cement plants in Beckum, Germany, in May 2023. (Photo: Tim Luhmann/GEA)
GEA's Carbon Capture technologies enable the separation of CO₂ before it is released into the atmosphere. It can then be used to produce valuable CO₂-based products after capture and, if necessary, post-cleaning, or it can be stored in long-term storage facilities.
GEA is a leading global supplier of exhaust gas cleaning solutions and has in-depth knowledge of gas cleaning and heat recovery processes. GEA's Carbon Capture portfolio now extends our already established range of gas purification and heat recovery equipment to include CO₂ capture technologies and options for CO₂ transport and utilization. GEA thus offers all customers and interested parties a comprehensive product portfolio.
CO₂ can be captured from gas streams using a variety of methods - either pre- or post-combustion capture or oxyfuel processes. GEA focuses on CO₂ capture downstream of combustion because it can be retrofitted to existing plants and the impact on upstream processes is kept to a minimum.
Modern CO₂ capture designs use aqueous amine solutions as solvents, as these have been proven to work reliably and perform well. GEA's CO₂ capture solution portfolio is therefore based on state-of-the-art amine solution systems and combines them with GEA's unique scrubber technologies in a highly standardized design concept that enables rapid delivery of an economical CO₂ capture solution.
GEA's goal is to make CO₂ separation a viable solution that has broad application and can be integrated into existing infrastructures. By working with customers and leveraging technical expertise, GEA aims to unlock decarbonization potential in target industries.
The practical test in a pilot plant at Phoenix cement works in Beckum shows that a 90 percent reduction in CO2 is possible in cement production.
GEA's Carbon Capture Solutions portfolio, which includes the amine-based CO₂ capture process and options for CO₂ capture, transport and recovery, expands GEA's range of established gas purification and heat recovery technologies. GEA is committed to developing state-of-the-art CO₂ capture technologies that enable customers in industries such as cement, steel, glass and bioenergy to accelerate their transition to a low-carbon economy. GEA's portfolio of carbon capture technologies enables complete, rapid and cost-effective adaptation to future industry standards. It consists of the following units:
Utilizing excess heat from industrial processes and flue gases is the first step towards Carbon Capture & Utilization. The excess heat can be collected by our GEA XECO waste heat recovery systems and transferred to the Carbon Capture unit.
An important prerequisite for carbon capture is flue gas pretreatment to ensure the long-term stability of the carbon capture system. GEA SETO technology offers various solutions for cooling and condensation, removal of solids, aerosols, sulfur and nitrogen oxides and more.
Currently, the most mature process for large-scale carbon capture is chemical absorption with amines. GEA offers amine-based CO₂ capture plants in a variety of sizes as part of the GEA CEBO range, enabling CO₂ capture from a very wide range of flue gas compositions.
Captured CO₂ must replace fossil carbon to avoid anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. This can be achieved by using CO₂ to produce CO₂-based products or by liquefying and sequestering CO₂ in long-term storage, both using GEA technologies.
Dr. Michael Golek
GEA è fra i principali fornitori dell'industria di processo alimentare e di una vasta gamma di altri settori. Nel 2019 ha realizzato un fatturato consolidato di circa 4,9 miliardi di euro.