C-Capture, the designer of world-leading chemical processes for carbon dioxide removal, has been recognised by a panel of independent experts as one of the most innovative and cutting-edge companies in the UK. C-Capture has been listed in the Sunday Times Volvo Visionaries 2019, which focuses on leading humanitarians, utopians, environmentalists and innovators, published by The Times and Sunday Times (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/spon/volvo-visionaries/).
C-Capture’s pioneering solution is designed to remove harmful carbon dioxide emissions from power stations as well as from cement, steel, aluminium and other industrial facilities. It uses biodegradable chemical solvents to remove carbon dioxide, offering a safer and more cost-effective alternative to current technologies.
The company’s technology has a major role to play in mitigating the global impacts of climate change as well as contributing to the UK’s own efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve “net zero” carbon by 2050, as recommended by the UK’s Committee on Climate Change.
C-Capture is currently conducting a demonstration project at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, which when scaled up, will remove carbon dioxide from emissions produced by Drax’s four generating units that are fuelled by sustainable biomass.
The bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project at Drax, which is the first of its kind in the world to capture carbon from a 100% biomass feedstock, is highly significant because it has the capacity to produce negative emissions. This means that at the same time as renewable power is produced, Drax would be helping to reduce the amount of CO2 accumulating in the atmosphere, making an important contribution to efforts to combat climate change.
Professor Chris Rayner, Founder of C-Capture, said: “It’s great to have independent recognition of our ground-breaking work, and be listed alongside other pioneering companies and inspiring people from other sectors. Everyone in the team at C-Capture contributes to this success. In particular, our COO and Director of Engineering Caspar Schoolderman and Dr Doug Barnes, our Head of Chemistry, have really led the major breakthroughs in our technology development, to enable the company to reach this incredibly exciting stage.”
“With the support of our investors, we are focused on the BECCS project at Drax as well as developing our technology for deployment on new and larger projects in the UK and overseas. We are hugely excited about the future as CO2 removal is crucial in the battle to reduce carbon emissions from power stations and industrial processes in the UK and indeed across the world.”
The Sunday Times Volvo Visionaries 2019 listing follows the recent £3.5m investment in C-Capture made by BP Ventures, Drax and IP Group, announced in February of this year. C-Capture, which is based in Leeds, was formed in 2009 as a spin-out from the Department of Chemistry at Leeds University and has to date received £2.2m grant support from the UK Government (the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) through its Energy Entrepreneurs Fund, with further support from the CO2 Capture Project.
In May 2019, the UK’s Committee on Climate Change, in its “Net Zero: the UK’s contribution to stopping global warming” report, said that the UK Government must “make firm plans” for Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) technology in order to cut emissions. The CCC said that CCS is “crucial to the delivery of zero greenhouse gas emissions and strategically important to the UK economy.” C-Capture has the opportunity to play a unique role in this hugely important transition to a zero-carbon economy.
For further information, please visit www.c-capture.co.uk or contact:
C-Capture Ltd (twitter @C_CaptureCO2)
Professor Chris Rayner, Founder: 0113 343 6579 / c.rayner@c-capture.co.uk
Dr Helen Atkinson, Business Development Manager: / h.atkinson@c-capture.co.uk
or
Paul Taylor (Taylor Keogh Communications): 020 8392 8250 / paul@taylorkeogh.com