Under the agreement, Honeywell will leverage UT Austin’s proprietary advanced solvent technology to create a new offering targeted at power, steel, cement and other industrial plants to lower emissions generated from combustion flue gases in new or existing units. The solution provides these sectors with an additional tool to help meet regulatory requirements and sustainability goals.
The licensing arrangement with UT Austin expands Honeywell’s leading carbon capture technology portfolio. Today, 15 million tons per year of CO2 is being captured and used in storage/utilization applications through Honeywell’s CO2 Solutions process expertise. Honeywell currently has the capacity to capture 40 million tons per year through its installed projects worldwide. That includes capacity of deployed Honeywell technology (membranes and chemical & physical solvents) in installed projects enabling CO2 capture from gas streams, of which 15 million tonnes of the captured CO2 is being utilized for enhanced oil recovery annually.
UT Austin’s patented solution utilizes an advanced solvent, which enables carbon dioxide to be captured at a lower cost through greater efficiency using smaller equipment, creating viable project economics today under current CO2 policy frameworks in North America and Europe, according to Honeywell. That estimate is based on pilot-scale test campaigns at UT-Austin pilot plant and the US National Carbon Capture Center using flue gas from both coal and natural gas combined cycle sources and capturing 90% of CO2.
For a typical coal power plant (650 MW capacity, 85% annual load factor) with flue gas carbon capture, applying advanced solvent carbon-capture technology would enable the capture of about 3.4 million tons of CO2 annually, achieving overall 90% CO2 emission capture from the retrofitted unit. CO2 emission equivalency based on EPA conversion factors.
This point source CO2 removal technology can be retrofitted within existing plants or included as part of a new installation. In this process, carbon dioxide is absorbed into an amine solvent and then sent to a stripper where CO2 is separated from the solvent. This CO2 is then compressed for geological sequestration or used for other purposes.
“As the world proactively seeks technology solutions that limit greenhouse gas emissions, we recognize that carbon capture technology is an important lever available today to reduce emissions in carbon-intensive industries that have few alternative options, such as steel plants and fossil fuel power plants,” said Ben Owens, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions. “By working with UT Austin, our advanced solvent carbon capture system will enable lower cost of CO2 captured post-combustion.
He adds: ”UT Austin is a leader in carbon capture research, focusing in this area for more than 20 years through its Texas Carbon Management Program (TxCMP). Gary Rochelle, professor at the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and leader of TxCMP at UT Austin, and his team have established an efficient, second-generation amine scrubbing system through years of research and analysis. The improved performance from this solution can unlock project economics for ‘hard to abate’ industries such as steel, cement, and chemical plants, and coal, natural gas and bio-energy power plants.”