HYCO1 achieves operational milestone with syngas system

US company HYCO1 says that it has reached a ‘pivotal milestone’ by surpassing 1,500 hours of continuous operation with its CUBE Syngas system. That experience has led it to say that the technology is mature and has achieved Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL-9). The CO₂ conversion technology has been integrated at Agra Energy’s biofuels plant in New Franken, Wisconsin, US. It is claimed to have demonstrated ‘remarkable efficiency’ by converting over 96% of methane and CO₂ in biogas to high-quality syngas. (CUBE stands for Carbon Utilisation, Best Efficiency.)

The catalyst technology was installed in August 2024 without any modifications to the plant’s existing steam methane reformer (SMR). The system is claimed to have optimised the biogas blend of 40% CO₂ and 60% methane from dairy manure digestors and increased the facility’s production capacity by more than 20%. The syngas produced is used in the production of Fischer-Tropsch liquid fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel. As a result, HYCO1 reports it has achieved negative carbon intensity and exceeded the 50% carbon reduction threshold mandated by sustainability regulations.

Commenting on the technology, Tony Long, Chief Technology Officer at Agra Energy, says: ‘The ability to maintain syngas production despite variability in biogas feedstock has been invaluable. The increase in syngas production through efficient CO₂ conversion allows us to monetise all of the biogenic carbon in the biogas streams, not just the methane. HYCO1’s solution not only eliminates downtime issues seen with traditional catalysts but also transforms waste streams into valuable products at scale.’

Kurt Dieker, Chief Development Officer and Co-Founder, adds: ‘This success with Agra Energy demonstrates the disruptive potential of our technology and opens new doors for broader licensing opportunities.’  

ADNOC and 44.01 scaling their carbon-to-rock project

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Abu Dhabi national oil company ADNOC and Oman-based CCS developer 44.01 are set to scale their carbon-to-rock project in Fujairah following the successful pilot that mineralised 10 tonnes of CO₂ in under 100 days. The initial phase of the scale-up will inject over 300 tonnes of CO₂ to demonstrate the technology’s potential for large-scale deployment in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The project takes advantage of Fujairah’s abundant peridotite rock formations, which naturally react with CO₂ to form stable minerals.  

Sophie Hildebrand, ADNOC’s CTO, remarks: ‘Carbon capture is an important tool to reduce carbon emissions and meet global climate goals, and we look forward to scaling up this project and confirming the commercial viability of carbon mineralisation.’

Supported by renewable energy from Masdar, the pilot captured CO₂ directly from the atmosphere, dissolved it in seawater, and injected it into peridotite formations, ensuring permanent mineralisation.  

Carbon Clean launches modular, columnless carbon capture solution

To the north-west, UK-based company Carbon Clean has announced the launch of its CycloneCC C1 series, a modular, columnless carbon capture solution capable of capturing up to 100,000 t/y of CO₂.  

Addressing the space constraints often faced by industrial emitters, the design utilises rotating packed bed (RPB) technology to replace columns used in a conventional plant. That is said to enable a 70% height reduction while reducing the steel required by 35% and reducing the unit’s carbon footprint.  

Each unit is prefabricated, skid-mounted and delivered on road truckable modules, cutting the costs associated with transport, logistics, site preparation and installation, offering ‘a scalable, cost-effective route to decarbonisation’, according to the company.  

The company also reports that the APBS-CDRMax solvent used reduces energy demand by 10–25% and corrosion by a factor of 20, offering significant operational savings and extending the lifespan of the capture units.  

Prateek Bumb, Co-founder and CTO of Carbon Clean, comments: ‘Repeatability is key to mass adoption, as demonstrated with solar panels and EV batteries. Carbon Clean is leading a similar transformation through eliminating the columns used in conventional carbon capture solutions. Delivering fully modular, columnless, replicable units with a substantially smaller footprint is a technological breakthrough. [Our] ‘Lego-block’, ‘plug and play’ design makes it simple and cost-effective to install, making carbon capture financially and logistically viable to be deployed at scale.’

Dutch start-up SeaO₂ secures investment to enhance CO₂ removal tech

Lastly, Dutch start-up SeaO₂ has secured over €2mn in investments to advance its direct ocean capture (DOC) technology, which extracts CO₂ from seawater and returns carbon-free water to enhance the ocean’s natural absorption capacity.  

The funding, backed by investors such as DOEN Participaties and Future Tech Ventures, will support the transition from prototype to pilot plant, targeting the removal of 1mn tonnes of CO₂ by 2030 and 1 Gt by 2045.