Romanian energy company OMV Petrom announced on 23 April that it will test new carbon capture and utilisation technology at the Petrobrazi refinery, starting in June. The tests are part of a demonstration campaign carried out in Denmark, Romania and Greece, within an innovation project financed by an EU programme ConsenCUS.
“We want to actively contribute to the decarbonisation of transport in Romania and we have two clear directions: lower the emissions of the Petrobrazi refinery and develop products with a low and zero carbon content for our customers. We now test an innovative technology that opens new perspectives in Romania for the capture of carbon emissions and their transformation into superior products,” said Radu Căprău, member of the OMV Petrom executive board, responsible for refining and marketing.
The plant consists of three units. The first captures CO2 through a more efficient technology than traditional methods, OMV Petrom noted in a press release. In the second unit, high-purity CO2 is obtained, while the third unit transforms CO2 into a chemical product, potassium formate, with multiple uses, such as the production of synthetic fuels.
The installation was successfully tested in Denmark at a cement plant. From Romania, the installation is planned to head to Greece, to a magnesium production plant.
ConsenCUS, which started in 2021, is a 4-year innovation project funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 programme. The project aims to demonstrate the viability of a new technology applicable to sectors where reducing carbon emissions is difficult.
The project is run by a consortium of 19 research institutions and companies: University of Groningen (NL), New Energy Coalition (NL), Wetsus (NL), Coval Energy (NL), Technical University of Denmark (DK), Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (DK), Danish Gas Technology Centre (DK), Aalborg Portland (DK), Heriot-Watt University (UK), Robert Gordon University (UK), Net Zero Technology Centre (UK), British Geological Survey (UK), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (GR), Grecian Magnesite (GR), OMV Petrom, Energy Policy Group (RO), Zhejiang University (CN), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN) and University of Calgary (CA).