A project to bring a revolutionary carbon capture technology to market with the potential to help heavy industries reach net zero by 2030 has kicked off with a $6 million research partnership between the University of Newcastle and ASCON Group.
The collaboration forms part of the Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE) program – delivered by the University of Newcastle and UNSW Sydney to fast-track the commercialisation of recycling and clean energy technologies and support national decarbonisation and manufacturing agendas.
ASCON Group, an international oil and commodities trading organisation headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, committed to finding less emissive processes, has partnered with the University of Newcastle’s Laureate Professor Behdad Moghtaderi to deliver a project titled “Achieving Negative Emissions in the Production of Green Steel and Green Chemicals Using the Versatile Advanced Methods of Cleaning Offtake Gases (VAMCO) Family of Gas Separation Technologies.”
VAMCO is a carbon capture technology that Laureate Professor Moghtaderi said will help heavy industries to capture their carbon emissions while producing products such as green steel, hydrogen and ammonia. The VAMCO technology was originally designed for point-source capture of fugitive emissions from coal mines but now has the potential for deployment in many other industries including coal-fired power stations, steel plants, and more.
“The vision underpinning this project is to help drive and accelerate national capabilities in new/emerging CO2 capture technologies which are widely recognised as one of the key pillars of decarbonisation,” said Laureate Professor Moghtaderi.
“This could potentially provide an effective short to medium-term (2030-2050) pathway for lowering global GHG emissions. Importantly, such systems are expected to remove CO2 at an indicative cost of about A$50 per tonne as opposed to current costs which vary between A$100/tCO2 and A$300/tCO2 depending on the type of capture technology employed.”
ASCON Group Decarbonisation and Green Innovation Business Director Nate Macmillan said the beginning of the VAMCO research contract exemplifies their commitment to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
“Carbon capture technologies can greatly contribute to the fossil fuel industry reaching Net Zero by 2030, unlocking blue hydrogen capacity and potential,” said Mr Macmillan.
The ASCON VAMCO unit is a lower-cost and more environmentally friendly alternative to other carbon capture technologies on the market due to the use of a propriety CO2 adsorbent developed by the University of Newcastle researchers.
Mr Macmillan said the project will involve ASCON and the University building three pilot-scale facilities in 2026 to test the VAMCO technology before bringing the units to market, with at least one at the planned ASCON Bioenergy with Carbon Capture with Storage (BECCS) technology based Poly-Generation of Sustainable Chemicals and Fuels (POSCAF) site in Scotland.
“ASCON is excited to partner with the University of Newcastle on this important work scaling up the VAMCO technology towards market readiness. Throughout the project, we aim to establish networks of skilled researchers to promote the uptake of VAMCO,” said Mr Macmillan.
“These units have the potential to revolutionise the way industries utilising fossil fuels operate, allowing the capture of carbon directly from the source and recycling of the captured carbon into useful products.”
Mr Warwick Dawson, Pro Vice-Chancellor Industry and Engagement at the University of Newcastle said the partnership with ASCON is another step in the University’s commitment to advancing renewable energy and carbon emissions reduction technologies through innovative research.
“The University of Newcastle is proud to partner on this project that will help Australia’s heavy industries become more sustainable,” said Mr Dawson.
“We believe this research, combined with the other TRaCE projects and initiatives, will create a step-change in the world’s transition to net zero through the implementation of renewable energy technologies.”
About TRaCE
The Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE) is moving clean energy and recycling technologies from the research phase to global markets. The $280M Australian government initiative is a collaboration between industry, UNSW Sydney and the University of Newcastle that will fast track commercialisation, strengthen capability at the institutional level, provide infrastructure for technology development and deliver the critical skills needed to propel clean energy industries into the future.
The commercialisation of recycling and clean energy research through TRaCE aims to position Australia as a world leader in the use and export of recycling technology and materials.
TRaCE is supported by the Australian Government Department of Education through the Trailblazer Universities Program.
