Santos, CSIRO to develop new tech to negate carbon emissions

Santos will work with Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, to develop direct air capture (DAC) technology, it said on November 5. The company hopes this would be the lowest DAC technology in the world.

The pair will continue to develop CSIRO Carbon Assist technology which removes CO₂ directly from the atmosphere and higher-concentration post-combustion scenarios.  The CO₂ can then be permanently stored as part of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, or used to make carbon-based products (CCUS).

The technology will be trialled and developed to realise its commercial potential at Santos’ Moomba facility in South Australia, from where the captured CO₂ will be transported by pipeline to the Moomba CCS project.

"This technology literally has the potential to negate emissions elsewhere in the economy, especially in hard-to-abate sectors that Australia still needs to manufacture essential everyday products – products like cement, steel and the chemicals that are the building blocks of the clothes we wear, our medical equipment, the packaging we use for bread and milk, the pipes that carry our water, toothpaste, detergents and many other things,” Santos CEO Kevin Gallagher said.

Santos and joint venture partner Beach Energy on November 1 announced a final investment decision to proceed with the A$220mn ($165mn) Moomba CCS project. The project will store 1.7mn mt/yr of CO2 with a capacity of up to 20mn mt/yr across the Cooper basin.

CSIRO energy director Marita Niemelae said that CO₂ capture technologies will play a vital role in the transition to net-zero emissions.

"By collaborating with industry, we can demonstrate key technologies at scale, ensuring superior performance and economics," Niemelae said. "CSIRO has invested in CCS research for over 20 years, because of its potential for large-scale decarbonisation leading to emissions reduction and the creation of new industries.”