Imperial: work begins on carbon capture plant on campus

Work began this month on London’s first carbon capture pilot plant, as part of an £8.9 million redevelopment project at Imperial College.

The aim is to reduce greenhouse emissions by fitting coal and gas fired power plants with technology to capture CO2 before it is emitted into the atmosphere. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology works by filtering emissions through amines that grab the CO2 for subsequent transport and storage deep underground in depleted oil and gas reservoirs.

Imperial’s pilot plant will give undergraduates the chance to learn first-hand about CCS technology. Students will be trained to operate the plant.

When complete the stainless steel CCS plant, which will be the first in London and one of only two in the entire UK, will be four stories high. One room will house a new control system that will be used by academics to train students on how to operate the plant. Parts of the control room and sections of the facility will be glassed off, so that visitors can see how the plant works.

Andrew Livingston, Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, says, “Carbon Capture and Storage technology could play a vital role in the future in helping the UK to cut its greenhouse gas emissions. The construction of an amazing new Carbon Capture Pilot Plant at Imperial signifies the college’s ongoing commitment to training the next generation of engineers and researchers.”