ASCO, Hitachi Zosen to install CO2 capture solution at Swiss biogas facility

ASCO Carbon Dioxide, a provider of CO2 and dry ice solutions, in collaboration with Hitachi Zosen Inova, will install a CO2 separation and liquefaction solution at a Swiss biogas facility operated by CO2 Energie, a subsidiary of Regionalwerke Baden (RWB) and Recycling Energie, ASCO announced on May 21.

"This project brings together environmental and economic benefits," said Ralph Spring, CEO of ASCO Carbon Dioxide. "It’s a first-of-its-kind project in Switzerland, and we hope that it will be used as a best-case example for future biogas or waste-to-power plants.”

The existing plant produces biogas, which is then upgraded into biomethane for the regional natural gas grid. However, with the new installation, CO2 that was previously released into the atmosphere will now be captured and undergo several steps of filtration and dehydration under high pressure. The plant has a processing capacity of 4,000 tonnes/year.

Recycling Energie and RWB have previously collaborated to develop a plant in Nesselnbach. Recycling Energie produces raw gas, which is refined by RWB and fed into the gas grid as biogas. Previously, the captured CO2 was released into the atmosphere, but it will now be diverted to the new plant for processing into liquid carbon dioxide.

"With the new plant, we will be able to capture around 90% of the CO2 produced, which amounts to up to 3,000 tonnes of CO2 annually," stated a spokesperson. The new purification process will also eliminate residual methane, ensuring minimal environmental impact and maximising sustainability.

The liquid CO2 will be stored in large tanks on-site before being collected by Messer Schweiz, an industrial gases company based in Lenzburg, and sold on the national CO2 market. Applications of carbon dioxide range from industrial processes and medical technology to its inclusion in various beverages within the food industry as carbonic acid.