In the fight against climate change, innovation and action is critical. As leaders in biogenic CO2 management, we are making a significant shift from focusing on dry ice production to permanent carbon removal. This strategic transition underlines our commitment to addressing the urgent climate crisis and aligns with our long-term vision of a sustainable, carbon-negative future. In this post, Ed and Richard Nimmons, brothers and co-founders of Carbon Capture Scotland, discuss the motivations, benefits, and technological advancements behind this pivotal move, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Join us as we explore how we are paving the way for a cleaner, greener planet by delivering meaningful impact in permanent carbon removal.

1. Strategic Shift to Permanent Carbon Removal 

Q: What motivated the strategic shift from primarily producing dry ice to focusing on permanent carbon removal solutions?

A: Our company’s primary mission has always been to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Initially, we produced dry ice to generate revenue that funded our research and development projects. This approach allowed us to gain valuable experience in capturing, handling, and transporting CO2. As our understanding and capabilities matured, we shifted our focus to permanent carbon removal, which has always been at the heart of our long-term vision. Addressing the urgent climate crisis requires robust carbon removal solutions, and our early experience positions us well to meet this challenge. This strategic move is driven by the need to achieve Net Zero goals and our ability to deliver real results in the near future, however we will always run our dry ice facility as it provides a valuable service for those that need biogenic sourced dry ice.

2. Alignment with Long-Term Vision 

Q: How does this focus on permanent carbon removal align with Carbon Capture Scotland’s long-term vision and goals?

A: Carbon Capture Scotland’s long-term vision is centered on the effective removal of biogenic CO2 from our atmosphere. Initially focusing on biogenic sources, our ultimate goal is to extend our expertise to mitigate fossil fuel emissions. By leveraging our advanced infrastructure and knowledge, we aim to lead in both the carbon removal and mitigation markets. This strategic shift aligns perfectly with our objective to generate high-quality, permanent carbon removal credits and to support fossil emitters in reducing their emissions. Our practical experience allows us to accurately map our long-term goals, including developing global transportation networks and secure CO2 supply chains for geological storage, thus accelerating the transition from pilot projects to mature, scalable solutions.

3. Benefits and Opportunities in Permanent Carbon Removal 

Q: What are the key benefits and opportunities you see in permanent carbon removal compared to the dry ice production business?

A: Permanent carbon removal offers significant benefits and opportunities. It integrates seamlessly into existing infrastructures, such as distilleries and biogas plants, without adding carbon emissions. This approach meets the growing market demand for high-quality carbon removal credits and instills confidence in corporations about the reliability of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) for reducing Scope 3 emissions. The dry ice business itself is a great decarbonisation story, replacing fossil-based CO2 with biogenic CO2. Moving to permanent removal allows us to address an essential emerging market for future climate goals, providing corporate customers with a means to neutralise otherwise unavoidable emissions.

4. Technological Advancements 

Q: Can you elaborate on the technological advancements or innovations that have enabled Carbon Capture Scotland to transition to permanent carbon removal?

A: Our technology leverages established methods of capturing and liquefying CO2, scaled effectively through modular systems. These units are designed for rapid deployment and minimal on-site commissioning, fitting seamlessly into any distillery or biogas plant. This plug-and-play capability, combined with reduced energy requirements, distinguishes our approach. Additionally, we are scaling our modular CO2 transportation capacity to prevent future bottlenecks and ensuring a secure supply of CO2 to help sequestration partners accelerate their removal offerings. Our key innovation lies in making these technologies scalable and versatile, enabling quick adaptation to various sites and conditions.

5. Credibility and Value of Carbon Credits 

Q: How do Carbon Dioxide Removals (CDRs) and permanent removals enhance the credibility and value of your carbon credits in the market?

A: Transparency is crucial for us. We provide detailed life cycle analyses that trace CO2 from its source to se questration, including the photosynthesis that captures CO2, its emission and capture, and the energy used in purification, liquefaction, and transport. This real-time visibility builds trust and ensures our carbon removal credits are seen as reliable and valuable investments. High-quality removal credits should be measured by their true impact—how much net CO2 they remove from the atmosphere compared to a baseline. Our approach centres on accurately measuring net CO2 removal and providing customers with 100% confidence. True carbon removal is challenging and incurs a minimum cost, which reassures customers that the process is done correctly and effectively.

6. Challenges and Solutions 

Q: What challenges do you foresee in making this transition, and how do you plan to address them to ensure a successful shift towards permanent carbon removal?

A: Securing adequate geological and mineralisation storage facilities is a significant challenge. To address this, we strategically locate our carbon capture systems near storage sites where possible to minimise transportation challenges. Our systems are highly mobile and versatile, allowing quick adaptation to new storage opportunities. While the availability of storage sites in the UK has been slower than expected, we are expanding into Europe where new storage facilities are opening. Initially, scaling up CO2 capture and processing equipment was a challenge, but our modular solutions now allow rapid scaling when needed. Geological storage remains the industry’s biggest bottleneck and requires significant expansion. Our geographically flexible approach enables us to go wherever the best storage facilities exist, ensuring a smooth transition to permanent carbon removal.