Aker Solutions Starts Pioneering CO2-Capture Project in Norway

Aker Solutions today started a five-month test program to capture carbon emissions from the municipality-operated waste-to-energy Klemetsrud plant in Oslo, Norway.

The project is the first of its kind globally for a waste-to-energy plant and comes after Aker Solutions in December signed a contract with the city government. The project is funded by Gassnova, the state enterprise that supports the development and demonstration of technologies to capture carbon dioxide (CO2).

"This is pioneering work with significant potential as the world focuses on finding ways to limit carbon emissions," said Valborg Lundegaard, head of Aker Solutions' engineering business. "As such, this pilot project is of international importance."

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an important tool in reducing CO2 emissions and curtailing global warming. The test will be a key element in qualifying Aker Solutions' amine-based CO2 capture technology for commercial application at waste-to-energy plants globally. There are about 450 such plants in operation in Europe and about 700 globally.

"We see potential in this market across the world," said Lundegaard.

The test will be conducted using the company's mobile test unit for carbon capture. The gas released from Klemetsrud contains about 10 percent CO2 and is treated in several steps before it enters the mobile unit. Klemetsrud, which gets a majority of its feedstock from biomass, emits about 300,000 tons of CO2 per year. 

"We expect to capture up to 90 percent of the CO2," said Oscar Graff, Head of CCS at Aker Solutions. "The tests will verify important operating parameters such as energy consumption, solvent degradation, losses and required solvent make-up."