Technology Transfer Department

Application sectors

Problem to solve

In the field of decarbonisation, the TERIN-DEC-CCT Laboratory is playing a central role in CCUS technologies. CCUS not only significantly reduces emissions but also promotes the development of a carbon reuse economy (CCU), accelerating the transition towards climate neutrality. The primary objective is the study and development of advanced models, processes, and technologies for the decarbonisation of the energy and industrial sectors. Activities range from research and development to the modelling and testing of processes and components at various scales (laboratory, prototypes, pilot plants), along with market analysis.TERIN-DEC-CCT focuses on CO2 capture in "hard-to-abate" industrial sectors, valorising it through the production of e-fuels or carbonated aggregates and inert materials for the construction industry, thus contributing to a circular carbon economy.

Description

Research and experimental activities at the ENEA facilities, part of the Italian node of ECCSEL ERIC, are based on an integrated network of highly specialised plants and laboratories. These infrastructures are designed to develop and test innovative solutions in the fields of CO2 capture, reuse and valorisation, as well as hydrogen production, with the goal of contributing to the decarbonisation of industrial processes. The ECCSEL ERIC ZECOMIX–VALCHIRIA infrastructure includes prototype facilities such as a dual fluidised bed reactor and a rotary drum reactor, used to study the Calcium Looping process and assess its efficiency in different process configurations. The GICO-HGC plant focuses on the thermal treatment of syngas produced from gasification with integrated CO2 capture, while the SiSAl calciner is used for the calcination of calcium carbonate-based materials, a key step in preparing active sorbents for CO2 capture. The ECCSEL ERIC ZECOMIX–SFEROLab laboratory supports these activities through microreactor-based laboratory-scale tests, focused on innovative materials for CO2 valorisation, hydrogen production, and carbon mineralisation. It also includes a plasma reactor based on Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) technology, used for CO2 dissociation and its conversion into value-added products. An additional laboratory is dedicated to the synthesis and characterisation of catalysts and sorbents, produced in powder and granule form and analysed through advanced techniques to determine surface area, structure, and CO2 capture capacity. The facility also performs chemical analyses on fuels, biomass, and solid and liquid combustibles, including calorific value determination. The integration of expertise and infrastructure provides a strategic contribution to the development of technologies for the energy transition and the reduction of climate-altering emissions.

Research group involved