Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE) has opened what is described as the UK’s first and largest industrial scale carbon capture and usage plant.
The Northwich-based producer of sodium carbonate, salt and sodium bicarbonate has invested nearly £20 million in the project which was also supported by a £4.2 million BEIS grant.
The plant is predicted to capture around 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year – the equivalent of taking over 20,000 cars off the roads.
The captured carbon dioxide will be purified to food and pharmaceutical grade and will be used as a raw material in the manufacture of sodium bicarbonate.
The company said much of the sodium bicarbonate will be used in haemodialysis to treat people living with kidney disease.
Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “This cutting-edge plant, backed by £4.2 million government funding, demonstrates how carbon capture is attracting new private capital into the UK and is boosting new innovation in green technologies.”
Martin Ashcroft, Managing Director of TCE, said: “The completion of the carbon capture and utilisation demonstration plant enables us to reduce our carbon emissions, whilst securing our supply of high purity carbon dioxide, a critical raw material, helping us to grow the export of our pharmaceutical grade products across the world.”