07 Jul 2020
Press Releases
tpgroup technology to capture CO2 could support the switch to renewables
tpgroup is working on an integrated approach to capturing carbon dioxide from high-intensity sources, and is using this to synthesise fuel in a closed-loop system. The organisation is using its experience of carbon capture onboard submarines to find new approaches that don’t just hide the CO2 away for long-term issues – but instead produces the opportunity for a secondary fuel.

The challenges of direct air capture (DAC)
Plans to capture from the atmosphere are generally accompanied by some form of storage option, often in underground caverns. A big challenge for DAC is what to do with it once captured. Options are there for underground salt cavern storage, mineshafts and cylinder storage, but this potentially covers millions of tons of CO2 – and industrial sources of high-intensity carbon emissions are also not always conveniently located to feed into a suitable storage vessel.
Further, general sweeping of emissions can be energy intensive with large fans driving the atmosphere through filters or other media.
tpgroup’s approach to CO2 capture
As one of the most prolific global suppliers of submarine management systems, our experience is not in large-scale atmospheric sweeping- but in smaller more focused methods. By getting close to high concentrations of CO2, tpgroup engineers believe that a much more efficient use of energy can be achieved for the amount of gas captured.
tpgroup’s activities in hydrogen fuel systems also come into play around storage and a positive use of the captured carbon dioxide emissions. Its philosophy is that carbon capture and hydrogen are complimentary parts of a decarbonisation solution. To be effective, there must have an ongoing use for what is captured, or we are building up a problem to solve later on – not unlike the challenges around nuclear waste.
Pictured: CO2RE bespoke CO2 management solution customised to fit a range of applications.
Developing an effective solution
tpgroup is engaged in the early stages of project development to take our proven capability into the energy market and capture CO2 – at source and in volume. This covers potentially 100s of tons of CO2.
Technology licences have been agreed, and the team is collaborating with universities and other technology specialists to create a true closed loop system that takes an undesirable substance out of the atmosphere and turns it into something valuable as part of an overall atmosphere cleansing journey – supporting the UK’s net zero emissions target for 2050.