Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) Call

Background

Carbon capture technologies have been deployed and demonstrated at large scale at various sites in Canada, such as the Quest and Boundary Dam projects. However, CO₂ capture technologies can account for a significant portion of the cost of deploying CCUS, and most of the current conventional capture technologies are suited for larger-emission sources. There is a need for RD&D of next-generation, novel CO₂ capture technologies and processes that have clear advantages over the more mature versions of amine-based CO₂ capture technologies in terms of cost and application to different emission sources, sizes, and CO₂ concentrations. 

Expected outcomes

The CCUS RD&D Capture focus area aims to support the RD&D of next-generation CO₂ capture technologies and processes that have the potential to significantly reduce capital and/or operating costs of capturing CO₂ and increase applicability to different emission sources, sizes, and CO₂ concentrations compared to commercially available, amine-based CO₂ capture technologies.

This may be achieved through improvements in capture efficiency and/or total facility capture rate, process intensification and/or energy efficiency (i.e. reducing the energy per tonne of captured CO₂), development of advanced low-cost materials and CO₂ treatment technologies, reduction of waste and environmental impacts of capture technologies, etc.

As a part of the EIP, the Capture focus area under the CCUS RD&D call aims to advance clean energy and production technologies that will result in significant greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions to help Canada achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The CCUS RD&D Capture focus area is open to projects that advance technologies that capture CO₂ from industrial sources or advance negative emissions technologies that use solvents, sorbents, minerals, membranes, oxy-combustion, cryogenic separation, chemical looping, or other novel concepts. More specifically, the CCUS RD&D Capture focus area is open to the following eligible projects:

1. CO₂ capture process development (including novel cryogenic and hybrid processes)
2. Materials development and CO₂ capture chemistry (e.g. advances solvents, adsorbents, metal-organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, membrane materials, hybrids)
3. Membrane-based separation technologies
4. CO₂ purification and treatment (including compression for the purpose of purification)
5. Applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other computational methods for development of CO₂ capture – materials and processes
6. Design improvement to increase input flexibility (e.g. range of flue gas compositions) and operability (e.g. quicker start-ups, better energy integration)