Carbon dioxide has been captured from power station flue gases in a post-combustion-capture (PCC) pilot plant at Loy Yang Power Station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. This is the first time CO2 has been caputured using the PPC process at a power plant in the Southern Hemisphere.

According to CSIRO Energy Technology Chief, Dr David Brockway, “PCC uses a liquid to capture CO₂ from power station flue gases and can potentially reduce CO₂ emissions from existing and future coal-fired power stations by more than 85 per cent.” Future trials will test a range of different CO₂-capture liquids.

The project is part of the Latrobe Valley Post Combustion Capture Project – a joint collaboration between Loy Yang Power, International Power Hazelwood, government and researchers from the CSIRO. The CSIRO is undertaking similar research at Munmorah in NSW and near Beijing in China and is negotiating the installation of another pilot plant at a Queensland site.