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Science·1 min read

KIT Tests CO₂ Capture at a Waste Incineration Plant

Researchers at KIT want to capture CO₂ from the flue gas of a waste incineration plant and turn it into carbon powder for use in industry.

Exhaust stacks of a waste incineration plant where CO₂ is captured from flue gas for conversion into carbon powder.
Image: heise online
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The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is testing how carbon dioxide can be removed from the exhaust gases of a waste incineration plant and converted into a solid raw material. The goal is to obtain carbon powder that industry can use.

From flue gas to carbon powder

The approach does not stop at capturing the gas. Instead of simply storing the CO₂ or releasing it, the process is meant to turn it into carbon in powder form. That product is intended for industrial applications, which would give the captured carbon a use rather than treating it purely as waste.

Waste incineration plants are a useful test setting because their flue gas contains CO₂ continuously. Any method that works reliably there could be relevant for other emission-intensive facilities as well.

Why it matters

Capturing CO₂ at the source and reusing it as a material is one route to cutting emissions from sectors that are hard to decarbonize. If the carbon powder finds buyers in industry, the process could also help offset part of the cost of the capture technology.

The test at the incineration plant will show how the method performs under real operating conditions, outside the laboratory. Details on the scale of the trial, the technology used and the timeline were not part of the initial announcement.

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Tags:kitco2 capturewaste incinerationcarbon powderclimate tech

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