Achieving Negative Emissions in Production of Green Steel and Green Chemicals Using the VAMCO Family of Gas Separation Technologies

November 15th, 2023

R&D Focus Areas:
Synthetic fuels and chemicals; Industrial feedstock processes

Lead Organisation:
The University of Newcastle

Partners:
ASCON Energy Pty Ltd

Status:
Completed

Start date:
October 2023

Completion date:
November 2024

Key contacts:
Project Leader: Laureate Professor Behdad Moghtaderi: behdad.moghtaderi@newcastle.edu.au

Funding:
Australian Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE) and ASCON Energy Pty Ltd

Project total cost (as originally defined):
AUD$6,270,341 (cash) including AUD$4,447,050 (cash) from ASCON Energy Pty Ltd and AUD$1,823,291 from TRaCE

Project summary description:
As originally defined, the vision underpinning this project is to enable the industry to achieve negative emissions status while producing green products such as green steel, hydrogen, and ammonia. This is accomplished through adoption of a family of gas separation technologies developed by the University of Newcastle researchers. Named generically “Versatile Advanced Methods of Cleaning Off-Gases (VAMCO)”, this family of technologies consists of:

  • VAMCO-CH4 For point-source capture of methane using a propriety chemical looping process.
  • VAMCO-CO2 For point-source capture of CO2 using a propriety calcium looping process.
  • VAMCO-DAC For Direct Air Capture (DAC) of CO2 from air.
  • VAMCO-H2 For hydrogen purification using a propriety membrane reactor technology.

To fulfill the above vision the project aims at pilot-scale validation and demonstration of VAMCO technologies at scales of ~1–10 m3/h and in doing so uplift their technical readiness level (TRL) from current levels (~4-5) to those of commercial products (8-9).

This project was rescoped and shortened and the revised scope of work and relevant Milestones were completed in November 2024.

Related publications and key links:
Not applicable

Higher degree studies supported:
Originally, three postdoctoral research fellows and one PhD student were to be supported by this project.

 

Reviewed: December 2024