ESG Clean Energy Reaches New Milestone of Over 99% Efficiency in Its Carbon Capture, Water Removal System

Achieving dry exhaust enhances and simplifies carbon capture

March 04, 2024 09:14 AM Eastern Standard Time

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ESG Clean Energy, LLC, developers of power generation/carbon capture systems with a nearly Zero Carbon output, announced today that results from continued testing of its patented water removal system exceeded a water removal rate of over 99 percent. Reaching this level of dryness from fossil fuel power generation emissions enables the better use of energy-efficient solid adsorber materials to capture carbon dioxide instead of the high cost and energy intensive liquid adsorbers currently in use today.

This major technical milestone was achieved by increasing both the systems’ temperature and pressure differentials, enabling unprecedented exhaust dryness levels. This development makes it possible to conduct large- and small-scale direct carbon capture in a more viable and cost-effective manner. Testing was conducted at the company’s 4.4MW gas-powered power generation plant in Holyoke that serves the local electrical grid.

“Reaching over 99% water removal is essentially making the emissions bone-dry,” said Nick Scuderi, President of ESG Clean Energy, LLC. “With exhaust that dry, we believe capturing carbon dioxide can be done so much easier using low-cost and energy efficient solid adsorbers. This development provides a clearer path to applying this technology to all types of fossil fuel engines – from small and large power plants to the transportation industry.”

ESG Clean Energy plans on implementing this technology across all its planned facilities and has licensed the technology to a subsidiary of Camber Energy (NYSE (Amex): CEI) for all of Canada and multiple locations in the United States.

How it Works

ESG Clean Energy’s system treats the exhaust stream to remove the water vapor before it is treated for capturing CO2. This patented system consists of an advanced ceramic membrane that has been incorporated into a unique mechanical cooling system. With this technology, capturing carbon dioxide becomes both low cost and energy efficient. It is designed to be used on both large and small systems and can be retrofitted onto current operating power plants.

Capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuel emissions has historically been an expensive and energy intensive process. Fossil fuel emissions consist of a mixture of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and water vapor. Separating and capturing the carbon dioxide in a gas mixture like this can be difficult. However, there are materials that have been developed that will selectively attach or react with the CO2 while letting the other gases pass by – except for the water vapor.

Water gets in the exhaust steam because it is a byproduct of combustion. When fossil fuel burns, it makes three things: heat, carbon dioxide, and water. The historical challenge has been water molecules interfering with the carbon capture process. Several scientific studies have shown how water negatively affects CO2 capture. For example, a study done by ETH Zurich Institute of Process Engineering and Stanford University stated, “In all carbon capture processes the feed steam contains water vapor, which interferes with the mechanisms involved in the adsorption of CO2.”

Another example is a study published in Applied Materials on the Challenge of Water Competition in Physical Adsorption of CO2 stated, “The option to physically adsorb CO2 in the presence of water is challenging.”

That same study also stated, “The fundamental nature of water typically renders it much more attached to surfaces, and to itself, when compared to CO2.”

For more information, please visit www.esgcleanenergy.com.

About ESG Clean Energy, LLC

ESG Clean Energy, LLC (ESG) develops natural gas power generation/carbon capture systems with a nearly Zero Carbon Footprint. The patented technology is designed to generate large amounts of electricity and produce distilled water and CO2-based commodities, such as compressed CO2, ethanol, hydrogen, and Diesel exhaust fluid. ESG is working to secure additional projects around the world and has awarded exclusive rights to its patent portfolio to Viking Energy Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Camber Energy, Inc., (CEI) for exclusive use in Canada and multiple locations in the U.S. More information about ESG Clean Energy and its technology can be found at www.ESGcleanEnergy.com.