Returning to an industry that matters
I started as CEO of Airco Process Technologies in August this year. Before that, I spent 15 years in the carbon capture industry here in Fredericia , the center of CO₂ technology in Denmark. This is a return to an industry I’m very fond of, one that has an important contribution to make to the global challenges of decarbonization and energy transition.
We’re still a young company, established just five years ago, still moving out of our startup phase, but with a clear strategy to scale as a European leader, and then a global leader, within decarbonization technologies.
Cost-efficient carbon capture, with the flexibility to handle any CO₂ source
We make carbon capture possible through a portfolio of different technologies that can be applied to multiple sources of CO₂ and processes. For example, we can build a plant to capture CO₂ from a distillery, a power plant, or a biogas plant, basically anything with an off-gas stream that contains CO₂. We capture that molecule, purify it, and liquefy it.
That’s what you need to succeed in decarbonisation: capture, purify, and liquefy.
The CO₂ molecule can then be used in food and beverage applications, for underground geological storage, or for Power-to-X, producing alternative fuels.
What differentiates us is cost efficiency and our ability to handle impurities. CO₂ must reach strict purity levels, whether it’s for food-grade use or for sequestration. Different applications have different requirements, but all demand very pure CO₂ to avoid contamination risks. Our ability to purify gas from virtually any source is one of our strongest technological advantages
Operating in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, including challenging sites like Ukraine
We operate mainly in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, but we also have clients in Ukraine, which is a very big market for biogas. We help them remove CO₂ before liquefying the biomethane so that it can be transported to end users by truck as LBG. These are not easy working conditions, but we managed to build and start a plant remotely, something we’re quite proud of.
Climate impact and the green shift
When we capture CO₂ from biomass sources, such as wood or agricultural waste, it’s a way of removing the carbon that’s already been through the photosynthesis process. The permanent sequestration of that CO₂ makes it a true carbon removal, and that’s actually a new thing.
Twenty years ago, we captured CO₂ mostly to use it for something else. Today, around 80% of our business is driven by the green agenda, to actually remove and sequester CO₂.
Decarbonization and energy independence go hand in hand
We work with many biogas plants, and while their activity is driven by decarbonization, it’s also driven by energy independence. Biogas generates a renewable gas from plant or organic waste, it helps reduce dependence on imported fossil gas. That energy independence is very much driving our business.
Decarbonization and energy independence are the two key drivers of what we do. The transition to green energy goes hand in hand with the capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide. It’s about energy independence and removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Denmark has been a front runner in this regard. On average, about 45% of our gas consumption in Denmark is now biogas. Green gas will grow throughout Europe as the EU pushes to phase out Russian gas imports. Biogas plants release highly concentrated CO₂, so it’s readily available and cost-effective to capture.
Collaborating with The Carbon Removers
The Carbon Removers’ CTO, Peter Kriklywi, is actually an old colleague of mine. We worked in the same company here in Denmark from around 2003 to 2015.
We supplied two plants for The Carbon Removers in Scotland and that was the beginning of our collaboration. Together, we wanted to develop a containerized solution that could be standardized and quickly deployed across distilleries in Scotland, in a fast and cost-effective way.
Now we’re developing a couple of projects in Denmark where the CO₂ source is a biogas plant. The captured and liquefied CO₂ will be transported to the Greensands project, where it will be injected into a decommissioned gas field deep under the North Sea. We’re working towards being operational by the end of 2026.
Looking ahead
Airco Process Technologies is looking long term, toward synthetic fuels that will be key for decarbonizing aviation. If and when synthetic fuels become a reality, we’ll need all the CO₂ we can get from any available source to support the industry.
Our long-term objective is linked to the utility cost of producing one ton of CO₂ and our flexibility to adapt to any source. That’s strategically essential to allow decarbonisation to scale.
Without competitive costs, carbon management cannot scale , and without scaling, it cannot have an impact.
Our vision is also about building long-term partnerships. In this new sector, no company can do it alone. Partnerships, and how we grow together, are absolutely essential if we’re going to succeed in this green agenda.