Carbon capture and soda ash technology
Our process captures carbon dioxide from industrial flue gas and converts it into soda ash. It is described in international patent application WO2015194963A1.
The process
ENGSL has developed a process, known as Xeo-Light, that captures carbon dioxide from industrial flue gas and converts it into soda ash (sodium carbonate, Na₂CO₃).
The aim is to give an emitter a product it can sell, instead of a gas that has to be compressed and stored. Development began in 2007 with partners in Norway and China. Pilot work with the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi followed in 2018–2020.
The process also produces precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) as a co-product. The patent application covers soda ash only.
Patent application
- Number
- WO2015194963A1
- Type
- International (PCT) patent application
- Title
- Process for producing soda ash
- Applicants
- ENGSL Minerals DMCC and EnPro
- Inventor
- Mohammed Olfi
- Filed
- 18 June 2014
- Published
- 23 December 2015
- Source
- Google Patents
How the process works
Steps 1 and 2 are the two steps set out in the patent application. Its claims include CO₂ conversion above 90% and energy use of no more than 2.86 MWh per tonne of soda ash. The application describes this as at least 24% lower than the conventional Solvay process.
Electrolysis
Salt brine (sodium chloride) is electrolysed in an ion-exchange membrane cell to produce sodium hydroxide.
Capture and reaction
Flue gas passes through a packed column, where its CO₂ reacts with the sodium hydroxide.
Crystallisation
Soda ash (sodium carbonate) is crystallised and recovered from the solution.
Products
The recovered soda ash can be sold as an industrial product.
Public records
Patent documents, an engineering announcement and research relating to the technology, each with a link to its source.
| Date | Source | What it records |
|---|---|---|
| 2014–2015 | WO2015194963A1 on Google Patents | International patent application by ENGSL Minerals DMCC and EnPro, filed 18 June 2014 and published 23 December 2015. |
| 29 January 2015 | Pöyry press release | Pöyry, now AFRY, was awarded basic engineering services by EnPro AS for a planned soda ash plant at Kollsnes, Norway. The release names ENGSL Minerals DMCC as EnPro's technology cooperation partner. |
| 6 May 2015 | EP2558185B1 on Google Patents | Earlier related European patent (application WO2011129707A1), “CO₂ scrubber/separator using a cyclic carbonator for controlled carbonate/bicarbonate production”. Applicants Engineering Solutions Ltd and EnPro AS; inventors Olfi Mohamed and Tarek R. Farhat. Granted 6 May 2015; no longer in force. |
| 31 May 2016 | Masdar Institute news release | Techno-economic analysis of the technology by a Masdar Institute team led by Dr Mohammad Abu Zahra. It names ENGSL Minerals DMCC as EnPro's technology partner. The Masdar Institute is now part of Khalifa University. The study's estimates are set out below. |
| 2019 | Journal of Cleaner Production | Peer-reviewed techno-economic comparison of soda ash production with monoethanolamine (MEA) scrubbing for power-plant CO₂. It reported a capital cost for the soda ash route of about 65% of that of the MEA process. Khalifa University lists ENGSL among the affiliated organisations. |
Masdar Institute study, 2016
The study modelled the process for a 560 MW natural gas-fired power plant in the UAE and compared it with amine-based carbon capture.
The figures are modelled study estimates. They are not measured plant performance.
- CO₂ captured
- Could capture up to 1.3 million tonnes a year, about 85% of the plant's CO₂
- Capital cost
- Could be up to 35% lower than amine-based capture
- Energy demand
- Could be up to 65% lower than amine-based capture
- Soda ash sales
- Capture costs could be offset by selling soda ash for a minimum of US$18 per ton. The release notes that soda ash had sold for more than US$200 per ton.
Development history
Stages in the development of the technology, as recorded by ENGSL.
| Period | Location | Activity | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–2008 | Norway | Carbon capture system for EnPro Norway: supply, installation, commissioning and operations management. | Company records |
| 2007–2011 | Partners in China and Norway | Pilot plant construction and patent filing. Collaboration with Tsinghua University, Beijing, on absorption–desorption facility technology, and with Statoil Hydro, Norway. | Company records |
| 2018–2020 | UAE | Xeo-Light carbon capture pilot with the Masdar Institute of Technology, Abu Dhabi: pilot plant design, optimisation, testing and validation under Middle East climatic and operating conditions. | Company records |
| 2019–2021 | UAE | Xeo-Light commercial soda ash plant using captured CO₂: engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, start-up and operational handover. | Company records |
Working with ENGSL on the technology
We discuss the technology with companies that have a CO₂ source or plan a soda ash plant. For a first discussion, tell us the type of CO₂ source, the flue-gas volume if known, and the kind of collaboration you have in mind.
- Technology licensing
- Joint venture discussions
- Carbon capture deployment studies for a specific CO₂ source
- Soda ash plant development
Discuss a carbon capture application
Our team in Dubai will review your enquiry and reply by email.