Carbon capture technologies
Discover how recent developments are helping to make carbon capture projects happen around the globe.
Making carbon capture projects happen
As a provider of two leading carbon capture technologies, Shell Catalysts & Technologies has been involved in well over 100 carbon capture and storage projects around the world in recent years. These have involved emitters of different sizes and types, including standalone projects and those involved in clusters across sectors.
The challenges that have emerged in these often-groundbreaking projects have shaped Shell Catalysts & Technologies’ carbon capture technology maturation programmes and generated crucial learnings that are helping to reduce the risk and cost of future developments.
Find out how we’re helping drive down the cost of carbon capture
To learn more about the latest innovations that are driving down costs, access the briefing note.
Learnings from a decade of carbon capture at Boundary Dam
Learn how SaskPower and Shell made carbon capture history. We share key insights from Boundary Dam 3-the world's first commercial-scale CCS project-and what it means for future deployments across industries. Watch the on-demand webinar to hear more about BD3.
Making carbon capture and storage technology projects happen
The carbon capture and storage (CCS) landscape is changing rapidly. The project pipeline is growing swiftly, and new policy incentives are helping improve the investment environment.
Furthermore, innovations in existing operational carbon capture technology and growing experience with the technology have effectively reduced the risk factors and costs associated with future CCS developments.
These reductions in risk and cost are particularly important because both have historically served as significant barriers to the widespread adoption of CCS.
De-risking carbon capture projects
As the carbon capture and storage (CCS) market continues to grow, new technology providers are entering the sector. Shell Catalysts & Technologies welcomes competition as this drives innovation and cost reductions, which are key to making projects happen. However, recently we have noticed a concerning trend: some clients may be receiving advice that adds uncertainty rather than reducing risk.
Through involvement in CCS projects around the world, Shell Catalysts & Technologies has gained valuable experience that has helped to de-risk our carbon capture technologies: the CANSOLV* CO₂ Capture System captures CO₂ from low-pressure streams, including flue gas; and ADIP* Ultra captures CO₂ from high-pressure process streams.
On-demand webinar: making CO₂ capture projects happen
Gain insights into how project activities, drivers, and CO₂ capture technology are evolving – regionally and across sectors – while exploring the outlook for further cost improvements and risk mitigation approaches.
Webinar: Plastic waste and biomass gasification - An enabling technology for the energy transition
Join us May 21 as we introduce our new pre-conversion technology. We'll demonstrate two real-world examples that leverage plastic waste and biomass, and we'll explain the business case for upgrading existing gasification units.
On-demand webinar: Driving the scale-up of CCS
Stream the on-demand webinar as Shell Catalysts & Technologies, in collaboration with our alliance partner Technip Energies provides an overview of CO2 capture projects, and report on the trends that we are seeing. In this webinar we reveal ways in which projects are driving down costs; outline the latest improvements in CO2 capture technology; and engage in a Q&A session so that you can have your own questions answered.
Helping create better outcomes with CO₂ capture technology
Up to 99%
bulk CO₂ removal offered by the CANSOLV CO₂ Capture System.
20% lower
CO₂ capture costs achieved by Shell Catalysts & Technologies’ CANSOLV technology development programmes.
5 Mt/y of CO₂
will be captured at Calpine’s Deer Park Energy Centre by CANSOLV technology.
In development: carbon capture technology projects
Shell Catalysts & Technologies is involved in many of the Shell and non-Shell CCS projects being evaluated or developed around the world. These include Shell’s Polaris project, which will capture CO₂ from the flue gas of the steam methane reformers at the Scotford facility in Alberta, Canada and the projects below.
ADNOC Habshan
The CANSOLV CO₂ Capture System has been selected for the ADNOC Habshan carbon capture, utilisation and storage project.
Humber Zero
At Humber Zero in the UK, CANSOLV technology is to be retrofitted to the existing VPI Immingham power station stacks to capture millions of tonnes of CO₂.
Deer Park and Baytown
At Calpine’s Deer Park and Baytown energy centres in the USA, CANSOLV technology will capture 7MT/y of CO₂ from two natural gas combined cycle power plants.
In operation: carbon capture technology projects
We are also providing the carbon capture technologies for some of the most highly visible CCS projects operating today.
SaskPower Boundary Dam
The CANSOLV CO₂ Capture System has been capturing 1 Mt/y of CO₂ at SaskPower’s Boundary Dam power station in Canada since 2014.
Brother/LANXESS
The CANSOLV CO₂ Capture System has been capturing 170 tpd of high-purity CO₂ – with zero downtime – at Brother/LANXESS CISA (pty) Ltd in South Africa since 2013.
Learn more about Shell’s Quest project
Quest is showing how large-scale CO₂ capture can be safe and effective.
Driving down the cost of carbon capture technology projects
Sustained research and development, informed by real-world projects, is helping to drive down the cost of carbon capture technologies.
CANSOLV
Recent innovations with CANSOLV have helped to:
- Reduce the size of the absorber
- Improve energy efficiency and capital expenditure for the regenerator unit
These developments, and others, have helped us to:
- Reduce the capital cost by 20%
- Cut operating costs by 30%
The CANSOLV CO₂ Capture System has been capturing 170 tpd of high-purity CO₂ – with zero downtime – at Brother/LANXESS CISA (pty) Ltd in South Africa since 2013.
ADIP Ultra
ADIP Ultra has several enhanced design features that have helped to reduce the cost of CO₂ removal. Compared with conventional process line-ups, ADIP Ultra can help to:
- Reducing equipment costs by up to 30%
- Cutting regeneration energy requirements by up to 30%
- Capturing up to 25% more CO₂
ADIP Ultra has been capturing 1 Mt/y of CO₂ from hydrogen manufacturing units at Shell's Quest project since 2015.
The importance of our carbon capture experience
Carbon capture technology plays a critical role in the success of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, but numerous other factors impact the cost of a CCS project, too.
Integrating the CO₂ capture unit
Substantial value can be won – or lost – according to how outside battery limits (OSBL) elements are addressed. These include, for example, flue gas pretreatment, power and utilities provision, heat integration, and piping and tie-ins. For this reason, Shell Catalysts & Technologies has a strategic alliance with Technip Energies, which brings end-to-end project delivery experience in front-end-engineering design (FEED), engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), and commissioning and start-up services.
Insights across the CCS value chain
As well as the carbon capture step, experience and expertise in compression, transport, storage and measuring, monitoring and verification is also highly valuable. Through their involvement in multiple projects around the world, other Shell businesses can offer key insights.
*CANSOLV and ADIP a registered Shell trademark