Assessing the feasibility of implementing CO2 capture and utilisation in Quorn mycoprotein process

1. Assessing the feasibility of implementing CO2 capture
and utilisation in Quorn mycoprotein process
Presented by: Prof. Dawid Hanak

2. The IPCC climate crisis report has delivered
a “final warning” on the climate crisis, as
rising greenhouse gas emissions push the
world to the brink of irrevocable damage that
only swift and drastic action can avert.

3. Industrial clusters across theUK are the
largest emitters ofCO2
Clean Growth Grand Challenge: Industrial Clusters
Mission

4. 66 companies
5 mile radius
8.8 MtCO2/yr
(existing operations
& projects in
development)
Key industrial sites
Teesside Freeport
Europe's largest brownfield
site, unrivalled in size, scale
and opportunity.
Since 2015, over £200million
has been invested to prepare
a development area covering
more than 2000 acres

5. NZIIC is at the Heart of the East Coast Cluster
Renewables for Green H2
Net Zero Teesside
£2.2 bn - Levelling up
Innovate UK Launchpad
Direct Air Capture
Green Hydrogen from
Ammonia
Lithium Battery Recycling

6. The Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre
mission is be a hub for the Net Zero
Transition; locally, nationally and
internationally.

7. Our Holistic Net Zero Offering
Carbon Capture &
Storage
Hydrogen Lab Smart Energy
Systems
Circular Economy
Lab
Digital Modelling &
Simulation Lab
Business Expertise Social Research Creative Industries Policy &
Compliance

8. Industries we work with

9. Industrial Decarbonisation
Research
Prof Dawid Hanak

10. Process design and feasibility
Development of breakthrough net-zero process concepts and assessment
of their techno-economic viability and life-cycle environmental impact
Process design and engineering assessment of sustainable processes:
• High-temperature solid looping cycles (carbonate/chemical looping) for
carbon capture, direct air capture and hydrogen production
• Process-intensified CO2 use for bulk chemical production
• Hydrogen production via thermochemical and electrochemical routes
• Power-to-X processes

11. Risk assessment and business modelling
Stochastic modelling and uncertainty modelling to quantify risk in
investment decision making process and business model development
Current active research in:
• Reduced-order models and surrogate modelling (machine learning) for
stochastic analysis
• Standardisation of economic assessment for net-zero technologies
• Quantification of uncertainties in economic and environmental models
• Development of sustainable business models based on CO2 use

12. Assessing the feasibility of implementing CO2 capture
and utilisation in Quorn mycoprotein process
Project lead: Prof. Dawid Hanak

13. Background

14. Background
CCUS is an emerging sector:
• Support 50,000 jobs by 2030
• Deliver £4.3 bn GVA by 2050
• Deliver up to 5 GW of low
carbon hydrogen production.
• Store ~30 MtCO2/a by 2030

15. Background
Subheadings: Main body text
Subheadings: Main body text

16. Background
How to decarbonise smaller emitters?
• Quorn fermentation emits about 13 ktCO2/year
• Quorn consumes about 6 ktCO2/year (~100-350 £/t; up to 3,000 £/t in Aug ‘22)
• Too small to connect to T&S network?

17. Project Innovation

18. Project Innovation
Aim: to examine the viability of using post-combustion CO2 capture to reduce the carbon footprint of
the Quorn mycoprotein process and understand the destination of captured CO2, considering techno-
economic metrics and social understanding of chosen CCU paths.
Objectives:
1. Develop a comprehensive energy and mass balance of the Quorn mycoprotein process and map key
greenhouse gas emission sources;
2. Build process models for the selected post-combustion CO2 capture and utilisation technologies to process
the vent gas from the Quorn process;
3. Perform a detailed process feasibility assessment, considering the techno-economics and carbon footprint
metrics, as well as social perception, for the selected CCU paths to formulate decarbonisation pathway for
Quorn.

19. Key operating characteristics: (open source – to be validated)
• CO2 in vent gas: 429 kg/h
• CO2 concentration: 3-4%vol
• ”Clean” vent gas – no SOx/NOx
Quorn mycoprotein process
Controlled Mold, Quorn: A story about Single Cell Protein
https://controlledmold.com/quorn-a-story-about-single-cell-protein/

20. Potential CCU pathways
Controlled Mold, Quorn: A story about Single Cell Protein
https://controlledmold.com/quorn-a-story-about-single-cell-protein/
ID MEA NaOH CaL
Steam - ? +
Power - ? +
Heat - ? +
Prod. N/A NaHCO3
CaCO3/
MgCO3
H4SiO4
TEA ? ? ?
LCA ? ? ?

21. Potential CCU pathways
Controlled Mold, Quorn: A story about Single Cell Protein
https://controlledmold.com/quorn-a-story-about-single-cell-protein/
ID MEA NaOH CaL
Steam - ? +
Power - ? +
Heat - ? +
Prod. N/A NaHCO3
CaCO3/
MgCO3
H4SiO4
TEA ? ? ?
LCA ? ? ?
Less expensive to capture and utilise
than buy from the market?

22. Potential CCU pathways
Controlled Mold, Quorn: A story about Single Cell Protein
https://controlledmold.com/quorn-a-story-about-single-cell-protein/
ID MEA NaOH CaL
Steam - ? +
Power - ? +
Heat - ? +
Prod. N/A NaHCO3
CaCO3/
MgCO3
H4SiO4
TEA ? ? ?
LCA ? ? ?

23. Potential CCU pathways – initial results
ID MEA NaOH CaL
Steam (kg/kgCO2) -2.28* ? +1.65*
Power (kWh/kgCO2) -0.14 ? +0.13**
Heat (kWh/kgCO2) -1.64* ? +1.25**
Prod. N/A NaHCO3
CaCO3/
MgCO3H4SiO4
TEA ? ? ?
LCA ? ? ?
• Amine scrubbing would add to current
steam & electricity demand
• Carbonate looping would help Quorn
become more independent (steam &
electricity)
• But CaL increases reliance on
natural gas – is gas line available?

24. Potential CCU pathways – next steps
ID MEA NaOH CaL
Steam (kg/kgCO2) -2.28* ? +1.65*
Power (kWh/kgCO2) -0.14 ? +0.13**
Heat (kWh/kgCO2) -1.64* ? +1.25**
Prod. N/A NaHCO3
CaCO3/
MgCO3H4SiO4
TEA ? ? ?
LCA ? ? ?
• CO2 utilisation pathways
• Sodium bicarbonate
(but only ~20% CO2 utilisation)
• Synthetic natural gas
(need for green hydrogen)
• Mineral carbonation
(offtake for aggregates)
• TEA/LCA and social perception

25. Social perception
We will identify social factors at the individual and community levels that influence whether CCU
technologies would, could, or should be adopted and, if so, how.
Two workshops with Quorn technical staff and representatives of the industrial cluster to understand:
• the attitudes to the CCU adoption;
• the perception of existing factors that may facilitate the CCU adoption;
• the perception of the barriers to the CCU adoption; and
• the existence of social norms, i.e., whether shared understanding exists across the industrial
cluster that CCU should be adopted or not

26. Professor Dawid Hanak
Decarbonisation of
Industrial Clusters
Process Design & Business Modelling for
CCUS | Hydrogen | Nuclear
For enquiries:
d.hanak@tees.ac.uk

27. Prof. Dawid Hanak
d.hanak@tees.ac.uk

28. CARBON CAPTURE AND USE FOR
DECARBONISATION OF SMALL EMITTERS
IDRIC PROJECT OVERVIEW
Professor Dawid Hanak
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