Veolia becomes first in the UK to trial next‑generation non‑amine carbon capture at Sheffield ERF

This decarbonisation trial supports Veolia’s GreenUp strategic programme which prioritises deploying affordable, replicable technologies that help clients cut carbon emissions as part of a broader portfolio of decarbonisation solutions. 

There is a great need for UK Government to support regions to implement decarbonisation solutions for dispersed and/or land-locked assets, in addition to the economic support for industrial clusters.

This demonstration project represents an important step in assessing the role that carbon capture technologies can play in decarbonising hard-to-abate emissions. It is intended as a complementary solution alongside waste prevention, increased recycling, eco-design and other measures to reduce fossil carbon entering the waste stream, rather than as a standalone answer to climate change, and forms part of the Group’s wider research and development into a range of carbon capture techniques.

The trial, delivered in partnership with C-Capture, tested a novel non-amine solvent originally discovered by researchers at the University of Leeds, and is currently capturing up to one tonne of carbon dioxide per day from the Sheffield facility’s flue gas, using a specially developed solvent that can then be regenerated and reused.

While the initial results are promising, this pilot also reflects the current stage of carbon capture technologies. Their large-scale deployment will depend on the availability of supporting infrastructure, appropriate regulatory frameworks, viable business models and continued public investment.

The UK government has committed up to £21.7 billion in funding over 25 years to support the development of CCS, which it projects could add £5 billion annually to the UK economy by 2050. This funding is predominantly focused around designated industrial clusters, and given that over half of emissions occur outside of clusters this presents a missed opportunity to support dispersed industrial assets across the country that could benefit from carbon capture and utilisation technologies. This is especially relevant in Scotland.

Donald Macphail, Chief Operating Officer – Treatment, Veolia UK said: “Carbon capture is one of the tools available to help decarbonise residual emissions where they cannot yet be avoided. However, achieving net zero also requires continued progress in waste prevention, recycling and circular economy solutions to reduce emissions at source. Technologies such as this are designed to complement – not replace – those priorities. This innovative project is an example of our decarbonisation commitment as part of Veolia’s strategic GreenUp programme and the potential to utilise this carbon locally gives environmental security to our customers and other regional industries.”

Greg Searle, Commercial Director, C‑Capture, added: “Successfully operating our technology at the Sheffield site is a major milestone. It demonstrates not only the scalability of our non‑amine approach, but also its real‑world advantages in energy efficiency, cost, and safety—particularly for challenging applications like energy-from-waste facilities. Veolia has been an excellent and progressive host, providing the ideal environment to demonstrate our technology.”

Cllr Mark Rusling, Chair of Environmental Services and Regulation Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council said:  “This carbon capture trial in Sheffield represents a big step forward in the development of decarbonisation opportunities in our city. This is the largest project of its kind in South Yorkshire, and we are proud to support innovation and new technology. Every project like this makes a difference to reducing our carbon emissions and this important work supports our aim to reduce our carbon emissions to net zero. Net zero will help us move to cheaper renewable energy and protect households from global fossil-fuel price shocks, which should permanently lower household bills in the future.”