New Australian carbon-capture lab looks to make CCS competitive
CO2CRC and Federation University Australia have opened a carbon capture and storage (CCS) laboratory at the University's Gippsland campus. The project, which aims to make CCS price competitive, was funded by a AUD 2.3m agreement between CO2CRC and the Australian government’s Education Infrastructure Fund. The laboratory will focus on flue gas in its early stages, but scientists aim to apply findings to other fuels. The Gippsland region is home to 90% of Australia's brown coal reserves, and it is hoped the project will boost the local economy.

The FedUni laboratory is part of the Australian CCS Research Laboratories Network (CCSNet). It is funded through a $2.3 million agreement between the Australian Government’s Education Infrastructure Fund and CO2CRC Limited.

The new laboratory will conduct important research into a range of CCS technologies, with the aim of reducing the cost of implementation so as to make price-competitive carbon reduction options.

“The new laboratory’s location at Federation University Australia’s Gippsland Campus is particularly fitting, given that nearly 90 per cent of Australia’s brown coal reserves are located here,” Dr Vincent Verheyen, Director of the Carbon Technology Research Centre at Federation University Australia, said.

“The laboratory will make a significant contribution to the understanding and implementation of solvent-based post-combustion capture at Latrobe Valley Brown Coal power generation facilities.

“While the initial focus of the facilities will be on local flue gas, the knowledge gained will be relevant to other power generators and broadened to pre-combustion coal to product applications around the country and internationally,” Dr Verheyen said.

Tania Constable, CO2CRC’s CEO, believes that carbon capture storage can and should play a vital role in supporting the renewal of the Gippsland region and Federation University will play its part.

Ms Constable said: “CCS is the only proven and reliable technology to remove large scale emissions from power generation and industrial processes. The Gippsland Community’s Plan for action highlights the potential of CCS. This means thousands of jobs for the Gippsland region and will remove over 10 per cent of Australia’s emissions.”

One of the goals of the Commonwealth Education Infrastructure Funded Centre will be to focus on undertaking future energy training and research towards environmentally neutral and costed effective carbon based technologies.

The facility will provide a community focal point for science on brown coal and related energy knowledge topics. It will provide energy education services to community groups and students from primary school to post-graduate level.