About the project
The SolveMORE project aims to improve solvent management in post-combustion CO2 capture by developing strategies to reduce solvent degradation and associated emissions. The project focuses on identifying compounds and process conditions that influence solvent stability in industrial capture systems, with the goal of reducing solvent loss, waste production, and emissions of degradation products. By enabling more targeted solvent maintenance practices, SolveMORE seeks to extend solvent lifetime, improve CO2 product quality, and lower operational expenditures in solvent-based carbon capture processes.
Amine-based solvents used in CO2 capture are subject to thermal and oxidative degradation during operation, leading to reduced capture performance, increased solvent consumption, and the formation of environmentally harmful by-products. Current solvent management approaches typically aim to remove contaminants through reclamation processes, which may also eliminate compounds that stabilise the solvent matrix. SolveMORE challenges this conventional “keep the solvent clean” paradigm by investigating the role of degradation products and accumulated impurities in solvent stability. By combining computational chemistry, laboratory-scale solvent stability testing, bench-scale reclaiming experiments, and pilot plant validation, the project will develop improved solvent management strategies that selectively target harmful components while retaining stabilising species.
SolveMORE is expected to deliver validated solvent management strategies capable of reducing solvent degradation rates, emissions of degradation products, and waste generation in industrial CO2 capture plants. The project will generate new knowledge on solvent degradation chemistry, identify stabilising and destabilising compounds, and provide recommendations for optimised solvent reclaiming practices. These outcomes are anticipated to reduce solvent consumption and operational costs, improve environmental performance, and increase process reliability. By supporting more efficient and sustainable solvent-based CO2 capture, SolveMORE contributes to the cost-effective deployment of carbon capture technologies required to achieve climate neutrality targets.
