Drax to host bioenergy carbon capture storage project

Drax will partner with Leeds-based C-Capture and invest £400,000 in what could be the first of several pilot projects undertaken at the north Yorkshire plant to deliver BECCS demonstrators.

Drax Power Station became the largest decarbonisation project in Europe by upgrading its existing facilities to burn wood pellets in place of coal. If the pilot is successful, Drax will examine options for a similar re-purposing of existing infrastructure.

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/issues/july-2015-online/drax-group-operations-director-peter-emery/

The first phase of the project will investigate whether C-Capture’s solvent is compatible with the biomass flue gas at Drax Power Station. A lab-scale study into the feasibility of re-utilising the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) absorbers at the power station will also be carried out to assess potential capture rates.

FGD equipment reduces sulphur emissions from coal, but has become redundant on three of the generating units at Drax that have been upgraded to use biomass, which produces lower levels of sulphur.

Depending on the outcome of a feasibility study, the C-Capture team will proceed to the second phase of the pilot in the autumn, when a demonstration unit will be installed to isolate the carbon dioxide produced by the biomass combustion.