Svante to develop carbon capture project at Arkansas pulp mill with DOE backing

Canada’s Svante has unveiled plans to develop a carbon capture and storage facility at the Arkansas-based Ashdown pulp and paper mill to support the removal of 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Believed to be a first of its kind, the project is being boosted by funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE). This will support a pre-FEED study to evaluate post-combustion carbon capture from the recovery boilers’ flue gas.

Specifically, the site will capture biogenic CO2. This is because Svante hopes to capture CO2 originating in the atmosphere via sustainable biomass, rather than anthropogenic or man-made CO2.

To achieve this, Svante will utilise its solid sorbent carbon capture technology if the project is given the green light. Solid sorbents, particularly metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are a step change for the carbon capture industry.

The company’s MOF captures CO2 from diluted flue gas streams with high capacity and selectivity over water. It captures 95% of the total CO2 emitted from industrial sources, adsorbing CO2 using direct low-pressure steam injection for regeneration.

Claude Letourneau, President and CEO of Svante, said, “The pulp and paper industry represents a unique opportunity for technology and nature to work in tandem to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.”

“Svante’s MOF-based carbon capture technology has the potential to revolutionise how industrial facilities manage their emissions, and we are confident that this project will pave the way for wider industry adoption.”

Once operational, the project will be able to generate carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits. CDR credits are believed to be necessary in achieving global and national Net Zero targets. However, they cannot substitute for immediate and deep emissions reductions.

According to market research, the energy-intensive pulp and paper industry made up about 9 % of total US industrial energy consumption in 2022a. Direct greenhouse gas emissions from the pulp and paper sector were 34.9 million metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2021, accounting for 2.5 % of U.S. industrial emissions.

The news follows Tenaska and Svante announcing a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on end-to-end carbon capture and storage projects.

Tenaska has multiple Class VI applications under review to offer sustainable and economic CCS pathways across the US, including the Sugarberry CCS Hub in Texas.