Lau briefing on materials testing facilities for carbon capture, utilisation and storage.
THE deployment of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) has gained momentum in recent years as one of the crucial technologies to capture the emissions causing climate change before they enter the atmosphere.
Climate scientists say that CCUS deployment on a wide global scale is essential to achieving net zero targets and several organisations, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), have advocated for an effective acceleration of CCUS globally to reach climate targets.
“Net zero goals require energy transition. Complete energy transition most probably would not happen in the near future (next quarter century) and at the same time energy demand will continue to rise.
“So CCUS technologies are needed in this transition period to reduce emissions in key sectors and industries and to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) and balance emissions,” says Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) Assoc Prof Dr Lau Kok Keong.
CCUS technologies, he points out, are constantly evolving and have historically been associated with the oil and gas industry, but as countries around the world seek to achieve their net zero goals, pressure is also mounting for hard-to-abate industries such as steel and cement production to decarbonise.
Quoting the IEA, he says there are around 45 commercial facilities already in operation applying CCUS to industrial processes, fuel transformation and power generation, with over 700 projects in development across the CCUS value chain globally.
CCUS involves the capture of CO2, generally from flue gas streams or at emissions sources such as power generation or industrial sectors like steel and cement. If not used on-site, the captured CO2 is compressed and transported by pipeline, ship, rail or truck to be used in a range of applications such as concrete, chemicals and synthetic fuels, or injected into deep geological formations such as depleted oil and gas wells or saline aquifers.
Lau who heads UTP’s Centre of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (previously known as the CO2 research centre or CO2RES) is no stranger to these technologies, having worked on CO2 research at the university since 2011.
It was in the last seven years that the university through the research centre refocused its efforts to include carbon utilisation, and other types of hydrocarbons, which eventually led to the centre’s rebranding earlier this year.
The rebranding is a reflection that its research isn’t restricted to CO2, it can also include methane, which is 28 times more potent as a greenhouse gas (greater global warming potential) compared to CO2, he says, adding that the centre’s reinvigorated focus enables it to forge closer connections with industry.
In the area of carbon capture, the centre focuses on technologies involving absorption (solvent), membrane, gas hydrate, adsorption and cryogenic separation.
“Carbon utilisation meanwhile covers converting CO2 into value added products including fuels and chemicals. In the area of carbon transportation and storage, our centre has established a strong research nexus with UTP’s Centre of Corrosion Research and UTP’s Centre of Reservoir Dynamics to support the complete research value chain for CCUS,” he says, adding that this cements UTP as the only research entity which serves the entire CCUS value chain.
Over the years, the centre has developed materials for carbon capture and utilisation for instance energy-efficient green solvent, highly selective membranes, multi-functional gas hydrate inhibitors and promoters, high-capacity adsorbents, high-performance catalyst for CO2 conversion, to name a few.
“We have also designed the process and scale-up requirements for carbon capture and utilisation technologies. Furthermore, our research nexus has also developed technologies to monitor carbon storage and carbon transportation,” he adds.
One-of-a-kind testing facility
Through collaboration and support from PETRONAS, the centre has also developed an industrial-scale pilot testing facility for carbon capture technology, the first of its kind in Malaysia.
The facility, which was established in 2019, provides an opportunity for industry partners around the region to conduct pilot testing for their respective carbon capture technologies, an otherwise high-cost endeavour if they were to commission their own test facilities.
Industrial-scale pilot testing facility for carbon capture technology.
Lau points out that despite the promise of CCUS in the energy transition equation the pace of implementing these projects have been slow and this is largely due to the costs.
“Limited financial incentives, lack of regulatory frameworks, public perception and acceptance are also some of the challenges,” he adds.
But the shift may well be on the horizon, especially as climate change concerns and net zero targets become part of the mainstream conversation. Changes to regulations, whether it’s Malaysia’s planned implementation of a carbon tax by 2026 or the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which is a carbon tariff on carbon intensive products such as steel, cement and some electricity imported into the EU, will further raise the profile of CCUS technologies in Malaysia.
And to that end, UTP is prepared, having already more than a decade of experience in this field.
“We are the first research entity in Malaysia with the capability of providing both fundamental research, short courses and consultancy services related to CCUS.
“If, for example, our industry partners have a project with a high technology readiness level, we have materials and testing facilities to help commercialise the project. We also have a group within the centre that looks at the process scale-up and safety considerations of CCUS projects.
“Although we mainly focus on fundamental and applied research, our centre and the CCUS research nexus have successfully commercialised several products including Hollow Fiber Membrane Prediction Programme and the In-Situ Mobile Corrosion Monitoring, to name a few,” he says.
The former innovation, widely used in oil and gas industries, is a commercial simulation tool designed to predict the separation performance of membrane systems for gas and liquid under varying industrial parameters.
“This Hollow Fiber Membrane Prediction Programme software has assisted oil and gas companies to optimise the membrane operation for carbon capture and minimise greenhouse gas emissions since 2015 and according to our clients they could save significantly on membrane replacement cost by using the software,” says Lau.
The software also made the news recently when it won the Research Entrepreneur Award at the Malaysia Commercialisation Year Summit 2024. The award was presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Industrial-scale pilot testing facility for carbon capture technology.The Hollow Fiber Membrane Prediction Programme software was recognised with the Research Entrepreneur Award at the Malaysia Commercialisation Year Summit 2024.- MCY Facebook Page.
Apart from PETRONAS, industry collaborators and clients of the CCUS centre and research nexus include multinational oil and gas companies in the region.
The outlook for the centre and the CCUS research nexus, Lau says, is encouraging. “We are exploring various opportunities, including collaborations with universities in China and potential projects in South America. By looking at the entire CCUS value chain, our value proposition is very clear, so I believe the outlook will be very positive.”
For more information and enquiries on UTP CCUS, email consultancy@utp.edu.my.
