As CCS is predicted to become a mandatory process within Switzerland’s future waste-to-energy plants, Limeco, a Swiss company, has announced that with the help of Aker Carbon Capture they will be constructing a new plant in Dietikon, within the canton of Zurich.

As it stands, Switzerland has 29 waste-to-energy plants which altogether emit an estimated 4.5 million tons of Co2 annually. Of these Co2 emissions, 50% are biogenic, 50% are of fossil origin. This means that the new plant which is planned to be built by Limeco will have a CCS process built into it and will therefore significantly reduce emissions and be an excellent development within both the waste-to-energy and the carbon capture industry.

Limeco’s new plant will be a waste-to-energy incineration plant and it will be made-up of two identical incineration lines. To do this, Limeco will use Aker Carbon Capture’s standardised and modularised Just Catch carbon capture units. The company will use this equipment as it has been manufactured in a way that it is able to carry the volume of Co2 which Limeco requires it to carry. Aker’s technology will be more or less a perfect fit to Limeco’s requirements. For this process to be as successful as possible, the carbon, which is intended for transport, will be liquefied, so that it is easy to transport by either truck of train.

Furthermore, Limeco’s project is a greenfield project, which is being created with the intention of it being used to produce district heating, heat integration between the incineration plant and finally, it will be used to maximise the district heat production. This multitude of purposes will showcase Limeco’s expertise as a business, whilst the projects will also contribute to Switzerland’s aim to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. This highlights how the creation of one plant which will have new adaptations that allow it to do more for other businesses and the planet, also has the ability to benefit the companies that are working with it, for it and around it.

Chief Commercial Officer at Aker Carbon Capture, Jon Christopher Knudsen, commented, "We are excited to collaborate with Limeco in their decarbonization efforts. Decarbonizing the waste-to-energy industry is crucial to achieving Switzerland's 2050 net zero target. With our modular Just Catch offering we have a strong foothold in the waste-to energy segment. The award of this feasibility study is further validation that the CCUS market is accelerating.”

Markus Bircher, who manages the project at Limeco, added, "As part of the Limeco Masterplan 2050 and in the context of the Swiss government's energy and climate strategy, the basics are to be laid for an integrated cross-generation project. CO2 capture and logistics at the site are important and sensitive issues for the layout of the future plants and the upcoming planning. At this early stage, all future options and developments must be taken into account so that they can be implemented at a later stage.”