CO2 recovery can be promoted even at small facilities (August 24, Hiroshima City)
On the 24th, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries unveiled to the press a compact carbon dioxide (CO2) recovery device that was put into practical use in Hiroshima City. CO2 recovery equipment has been introduced in advance for large-scale businesses such as coal-fired power plants. In response to the global decarbonization trend, we expect that demand for CO2 recovery equipment will increase even in small and medium-sized facilities, and we will work to spread small products.
"We will enter a new stage from carbon neutral to 'carbon negative' with the introduction of CO2 recovery equipment." President Minoru Nojiri of Taihei Dengyo (Chiyoda, Tokyo), a plant construction and maintenance company that deals with biomass power plants in Hiroshima City, said on the 24th. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' compact CO2 recovery equipment has been in operation since June.
A CO2 recovery plant consists of three major elements. First of all, there is a "cooling tower" that cools the exhaust gas emitted from factories. After that, the gas sent to the "absorber tower" is sprinkled with an amine liquid containing an ammonia compound, and the liquid adsorbs CO2. Finally, it is transferred to a "regeneration tower," where the liquid is heated to separate and recover CO2.
The amount of CO2 recovery equipment developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is 300 kg per day. The installation area is small at about 10 square meters. At Taihei Dengyo's power plant, the collected CO2 is used for growing crops in the company's agricultural greenhouses. It is also an attempt to contribute to regional revitalization by collaborating with industry, government, and academia, such as the prefecture and Hiroshima University. The amount collected in units of 100 tons could not be used up immediately, and the options were limited to storage.
As decarbonization of the supply chain (supply network) becomes an issue, CO2 reduction is also a major issue for small and medium-sized enterprises. Another option is to capture CO2 with a small device.
In the future, MHI plans to expand the supply of equipment by expanding the range of sizes of recovery equipment and by improving its highly efficient recovery technology. In the future, we aim to monetize services such as monitoring the operational status based on data acquired by sensors and taking over the operation of plants. By 2030, the company aims to achieve annual sales of 150 billion yen or more in the CO2 recovery field.
MHI has a track record of supplying recovery equipment to 14 locations around the world, and accounts for more than 70% of the volume of recovery. In 2016, we received an order for the world's largest project "Petra Nova" in Texas, USA. The amount of CO2 recovered is close to 5,000 tons per day, making it one of the largest in the world. Most recently, in partnership with Bakken Energy, a U.S. energy company, we are also planning a project to create one of the largest clean hydrogen systems in North America using captured CO2. With a total project cost of approximately $2 billion (approximately ¥270 billion), the project will produce over 300,000 tons of hydrogen per year in the state of North Dakota in the Midwestern United States.
