Japan's JFE Engineering to use Nobel-winning material for carbon capture

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on Nikkei Asia or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: JFE Engineering plans to field-test a system capturing CO2 from garbage incinerators at half the operating cost of conventional methods, using a Nobel Prize-winning material
• The trial will run at the company's Clean Plaza Fujimi waste-to-energy facility in Tokyo

🔭 The context: JFE has been demonstrating carbon capture at Clean Plaza Fujimi since FY2021, using an amine adsorption process, and reported CO2 recovery rates above 90% at purity above 99.5%
• The facility serves the cities of Mitaka and Chofu with JFE holding a 20-year operations contract
• Captured CO2 from the site was previously converted into methanol with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical.

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Municipal waste contains biomass; therefore, capturing CO2 from incinerator flue gas can push a waste-to-energy plant past carbon neutrality into net removal
• JFE has described this as achieving negative emissions
• Halving operating cost retrofitting capture to municipal incinerators changes which facilities are economically viable candidates.

📈 One stat: Half the operating cost of conventional capture methods, per JFE Engineering.

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