Despite commitments made by the UK government in 2019 in declaring a climate emergency and a target of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the year 2050, the current trajectory is one of increased emissions, further warming and a potential breach of the 1.5°C average warming threshold as early as 2030.
Mitigation scenarios that achieve these ambitious targets rely on GHG emission reductions combined with net carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. Most assessment models are unable to find a solution to meet these targets without the deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies. BioEnergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) features in most of these scenarios.
The Energy Technologies Institute have estimated that by 2050, around 55 Mt of CO2 per annum could be removed by BECCS, half that of the UK’s emission targets in 2050. Adsorption for CCS is an attractive technology as its advantages include the ability for retrofitting to existing large point sources.
The driving force for research in the field of adsorption-based CCS is the reduction of CO2 capture cost by minimising energy requirements and improving efficiency, hence developing innovative and cost-effective adsorbents and their associated processes.
With an anticipated increase in biomass combustion, the co-generation of biomass combustion products (BCP) presents a significant social, economic and environmental burden. Owing to their distinct chemical properties, BCP have demonstrated potential for niche applications in adsorption-based CO2 capture.
In this project, we are investigating the viability of BCP valorisation in de-carbonisation of biomass combustion facilities such as those at Drax Power Plant, where the BCP has been sourced.
The project aims to probe into the techno-economics of the use of modified BCP-derived (in)organic adsorbents in post-combustion carbon capture via process modelling and simulation.
The collaboration with TP Group PLC, our industrial project partner and a leading UK company in CCS technologies, will reinforce the success of this project throughout its lifespan.
This study has been supported by the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC) flexible funding research grant (EP/P026214/1). The UKCCSRC is supported by the EPSRC as part of the UKRI Energy Programme.
Dr Salman Masoudi Soltani - Dr Salman Masoudi Soltani is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Chemical Engineering at Brunel University of London. He joined the university in May 2017 as a founding member of the newly established Chemical Engineering Department, contributing to the design and development of its academic programs. A Chartered Engineer (CEng, MIChemE), Dr Masoudi Soltani has a strong background in both industrial and academic research within chemical and process engineering. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), UK. In his current role, he serves as the Director of Research for the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Dr Masoudi Soltani's primary research focuses on Separation Processes, particularly in adsorption technologies. He has led several high-profile research projects in carbon capture and blue hydrogen production, funded by the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC), and the UK's Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ). In addition, he has undertaken numerous industrial consultancy projects, details of which are available under the "Research" section of his profile. His pilot plant-scaled research was featured in The Chemical Engineer, the flagship publication of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), in 2022. Dr Masoudi Soltani also serves as a technical advisor for JET Engineering (Anionix).
Before joining Brunel University London, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Clean Fossil & Bioenergy Research Group at Imperial College London, UK (2015–2017). There, he contributed to multiple EPSRC, EU, and OECD-funded projects, including Opening New Fuels for UK Generation, Gas-FACTS, and CO2QUEST. His research focused on biomass combustion, CO₂ capture, utilisation, and process optimisation, working under the supervision of Professor Paul Fennell and in collaboration with Professor Niall Mac Dowell and Professor Nilay Shah. Prior to that, he worked as a Postdoctoral Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Research Associate at the University of Nottingham, UK (2013–2015) in collaboration with A-Gas International Ltd. In this industry-based role, he served as a Project/Process Engineer, leading the research, front-end engineering design (FEED), and development of a bespoke industrial-scale gas separation process, while being fully based at the commercial plant's site.
Dr Masoudi Soltani earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Nottingham in 2014, having been awarded the university’s scholarship. His doctoral research, conducted at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus, focused on the synthesis and characterisation of porous carbonaceous adsorbents from recycled waste materials and their application in heavy metal removal from aqueous media.