Published December 20, 2023
By Wyoming Integrated Test Center
Holly Krutka, Executive Director, University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources
Jason Begger, ITC Stakeholder Relations Director
The Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC)’s year was marked by significant achievements in advancing the commercial readiness of carbon management technologies. From completion of project construction to testing on the largest carbon capture project at the facility to date, the ITC continues to bring together government, industry, and cooperatives to advance carbon technology.
The School of Energy Resources has been thrilled to add the ITC to our portfolio of programs and to collaborate with ITC developers and partners as we work to develop solutions on a suite of carbon capture, carbon utilization, and carbon storage technologies. The State of Wyoming continues to set the bar for the global energy industry, and the ITC plays a vital role in the development, and ultimate commercialization, of new carbon management technologies.
Some key milestones that shaped our journey this year include:
KHI has successfully finished the first series of testing for its novel solid sorbent carbon capture project. This bench-scale demonstration will verify the effectiveness and usefulness of the solid sorbent technology for commercial deployment to large-scale plants. KHI’s process is unique in that the sorbent utilizes a lower grade heat than is required in a conventional amine-based solvent system; KHI believes that this allows for the carbon capture system to operate more efficiently and use less energy than the current carbon capture systems available. KHI will continue to test their sorbent into 2024.
Since breaking ground on their carbon capture project, MTR has made significant progress on the construction of their large-scale carbon capture project. Once built, MTR will use its proprietary Polaris™ polymeric membrane to capture more than 150 tonnes of CO2 each day. The large pilot will be one of the largest non-solvent based post-combustion capture plant in the world and represents MTR’s final step toward commercial deployment. MTR is anticipating completing construction and beginning operation of their pilot in 2024.
CCUS plays a pivotal role in ensuring the ongoing reliability of energy resources, while working to address concerns about carbon emissions. The work occurring at the ITC will help commercialize the technologies required to ensure effective carbon management solutions make it to market.