In the UK, enfinium Group Ltd (enfinium), a leading energy from waste operator, will roll out new carbon measurement technology across all of its operational sites by the end of 2024, which will enable the measurement of carbon removals once carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is installed across its fleet in the future.
Around 50 percent of the unrecyclable waste produced by society is currently made up of biogenic content, such as food, plants, and soiled paper or cardboard. These have naturally absorbed carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere when growing and release it back when transformed into energy.
Radiocarbon dating – also known as carbon-14 (14C) dating – is used successfully in a range of sectors, from archaeology to human health.
Carbon dating of the flue gas
When applied to energy-from-waste (EfW) facilities, it can determine the amount of biogenic or fossil-derived CO2 emitted from waste feedstock.
When combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, the fossil- and biogenic CO2 can be stored permanently underground rather than released, with the latter resulting in the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere.
By measuring the amount of CO2 generated from biogenic sources, enfinium will be able to robustly calculate and quantify the volume of durable carbon removals its facilities will generate in the future.
Full rollout following successful trials
Announced in May 2024, enfinium’s Net Zero Transition Plan set out an ambition to lead an investment of GBP 1.7 billion to install CCS across its operational facilities, creating up to 1.2 million tonnes of carbon removals a year in the process.
Carbon-14 measurement equipment, supplied by ENVEA, has already been successfully trialed at enfinium’s Kemsley facility since January 2024 – the only EfW facility with a Contract for Difference (CfD) in the UK.
enfinium will install ENVEA’s 14C measurement technology across all four of its operational sites by the end of this year. It will also be installed at the two sites in construction, Kelvin and Skelton Grange, when commissioned in 2025.
enfinium is transitioning into a carbon removals business and with carbon capture and storage technology deployed across our facilities, we could generate over 1.2 million tonnes of durable carbon removals every year. Robust monitoring, reporting, and verification of emissions are critical to scaling the carbon removal market and building confidence from buyers, investors, and policymakers. By using carbon-14 technology, we will be able to measure the amount of biogenic carbon we are capturing and storing from society’s unrecyclable waste, commented Jane Atkinson CBE, Chief Operating Officer at enfinium.
