teamwork

Houston-based sustainability company partners with Toshiba on carbon capture projects

Lummus Technology and Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corp. announced a collaboration agreement that will have both companies pursuing carbon capture projects. Photo courtesy of Toshiba

Two global companies have announced a collaborative effort toward pursuing carbon capture projects.

Toshiba’s subsidiary Toshiba Energy Systems will provide its advanced amine-based solvents, which are specifically tailored for post-combustion carbon capture, as well as its “system design guidelines” aimed for Toshiba’s solvents. Houston-based Lummus Technology will provide its post-combustion carbon capture technology.

Lummus’ access to Toshiba’s advanced amine-based post-combustion carbon capture solvents and technology will be vital for the project. Toshiba’s amine-based post-combustion carbon has been used in commercial and demonstration plants in Japan, and have allowed capturing of over 600 tons per day of CO2. With this access, Lummus can integrate its technology into project designs, and deliver “operational excellence and a competitive cost structure for customers,” according to the company.

Lummus can offer clients an OPEX-competitive solution by incorporating Toshiba’s advanced solvents that will be characterized by reduced amine emissions, lower specific energy consumption per ton of CO2 absorbed, and higher solvent stability against degradation.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Lummus to introduce our advanced amine-based solvent and CO2 capture solution to a broader audience,” Shinya Fujitsuka, senior vice president of Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corp., says in a news release. “Addressing the urgent need for decarbonization is paramount, and I have every confidence that our partnership with Lummus will enable us to make meaningful contributions towards achieving this goal.”

Both companies have been active in these innovations for years. Lummus has been a leader in post-combustion carbon capture technology since the 1990s by using latest generation solvent technology that provides the full design involving an absorber and solvent regeneration systems, which can be applied to complex combustion flue gas streams. Since 2007, Toshiba has been considered an industry leader in post-combustion amine-based solvent CO2 capture technology.

“I am excited about our partnership with Toshiba, which expands Lummus’ range of low carbon solutions and aligns with our commitment to lowering emissions for the downstream energy industry,” Leon de Bruyn, president and CEO of Lummus Technology, says in the release. “Combining Lummus’ post-combustion carbon capture technology with Toshiba’s highly competitive solvents and technology gives our customers a strong option for CAPEX and OPEX solutions as they advance their carbon capture investments.”

Lummus has recently secured other partnerships with Dongyang Environment Group to roll out Lummus' advanced plastics recycling technology in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, and will be operated by Dongyang Environment's subsidiary, Seohae Green Chemical. Lummus also paired with Citroniq Chemicals to build North American plants that produce green polypropylene.

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A View From HETI

Houston biotech company Gold H2's proprietary biotechnology has generated hydrogen from depleted oil reservoirs in a California field trial. Photo courtesy Gold H2.

Houston climatech company Gold H2 completed its first field trial that demonstrates subsurface bio-stimulated hydrogen production, which leverages microbiology and existing infrastructure to produce clean hydrogen.

Gold H2 is a spinoff of another Houston biotech company, Cemvita.

“When we compare our tech to the rest of the stack, I think we blow the competition out of the water," Prabhdeep Singh Sekhon, CEO of Gold H2 Sekhon previously told Energy Capital.

The project represented the first-of-its-kind application of Gold H2’s proprietary biotechnology, which generates hydrogen from depleted oil reservoirs, eliminating the need for new drilling, electrolysis or energy-intensive surface facilities. The Woodlands-based ChampionX LLC served as the oilfield services provider, and the trial was conducted in an oilfield in California’s San Joaquin Basin.

According to the company, Gold H2’s technology could yield up to 250 billion kilograms of low-carbon hydrogen, which is estimated to provide enough clean power to Los Angeles for over 50 years and avoid roughly 1 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent.

“This field trial is tangible proof. We’ve taken a climate liability and turned it into a scalable, low-cost hydrogen solution,” Sekhon said in a news release. “It’s a new blueprint for decarbonization, built for speed, affordability, and global impact.”

Highlights of the trial include:

  • First-ever demonstration of biologically stimulated hydrogen generation at commercial field scale with unprecedented results of 40 percent H2 in the gas stream.
  • Demonstrated how end-of-life oilfield liabilities can be repurposed into hydrogen-producing assets.
  • The trial achieved 400,000 ppm of hydrogen in produced gases, which, according to the company,y is an “unprecedented concentration for a huff-and-puff style operation and a strong indicator of just how robust the process can perform under real-world conditions.”
  • The field trial marked readiness for commercial deployment with targeted hydrogen production costs below $0.50/kg.

“This breakthrough isn’t just a step forward, it’s a leap toward climate impact at scale,” Jillian Evanko, CEO and president at Chart Industries Inc., Gold H2 investor and advisor, added in the release. “By turning depleted oil fields into clean hydrogen generators, Gold H2 has provided a roadmap to produce low-cost, low-carbon energy using the very infrastructure that powered the last century. This changes the game for how the world can decarbonize heavy industry, power grids, and economies, faster and more affordably than we ever thought possible.”

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