The first commercial capture process unit of the novel enzymatic technology will capture 30 tonnes of CO
2 per day at Resolute's softwood kraft pulp mill in Saint-Félicien, Québec — CO
2 that will be transported and reused at the nearby Les Serres Toundra greenhouses.
The unit was built in 2018-19 and operated for an independent technical audit by Tetratech. The audit report confirmed;
- The Unit is sized as expected to produce at least 30 tonnes-CO2 per day under normal operating conditions.
- The quantity of thermal energy required by the reboiler is only 2.4 GJ/tonne-CO2.
- The required thermal energy is entirely provided by the pulp mill through residual, low-grade energy (i.e. hot water) that has nil-value and no parasitic impact on the mill’s energy balance.
- The quantity of electrical energy required to operate the Unit translates into a cost of only C$7.35/tonne-CO2 (or less than USD 5.00/tonne-CO2).
These remarkable results confirm the technology's capex and opex advantage and shows the amount of heat required for regeneration becomes irrelevant when it is found in residual sources.
SAIPEM acquired this capture unit from CO
2 Solutions as part of a transaction in December 2019. SAIPEM is currently adapting the unit to its high technical standards. Operations will resume in summer 2020 to acquire more data and confirm the technology development program. The unit should be fully commercial in 2021. The installation will help Resolute reduce their environmental footprint while enhancing Toundra’s vegetable production.