INITIATE Showcases Pioneering CO₂ Reduction Strategies at GHGT-17 Conference

On 24 October, Nicola Zecca from our project partner Politecnico di Milano presented the INITIATE project at GHGT-17 conference in the session “11A - Thermochemical CO₂ Conversion” with his talk, Dynamic Modelling of the INITIATE Process. Nicola’s presentation underscored the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change, and he explored solutions such as industrial symbiosis, Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU), and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as promising pathways for significant emissions reductions.

Focusing on the steel and fertiliser industries, which together account for a substantial share of global CO₂ emissions, Nicola highlighted how INITIATE aims to decarbonise steel production gases (BOFG and BFG) by using SEWGS technology. One of the major challenges in this process is managing the variability in steel gas composition, which can impact operational stability and efficiency. Traditional steady-state models are insufficient to handle these fluctuations, so INITIATE leverages dynamic modelling to simulate transient behaviours, optimise process controls, and design robust solutions to ensure continuous ammonia production—vital for urea production—despite the variability of inputs.

By employing AspenTech’s powerful simulation tools, including Aspen Custom Modeler (ACM), the INITIATE consortium can monitor and optimise essential factors such as temperature control, hydrogen-nitrogen ratios, and overall process efficiency across the project’s four key reactive units: WGS, SEWGS, methanation, and ammonia synthesis. Dynamic modelling supports a comprehensive array of outcomes—from technical and economic assessments to operator training, environmental impact evaluation, and troubleshooting.

Additionally, on 21 October, our Project Coordinator Eric van Dijk from TNO introduced INITIATE at GHGT-17 in the session “2E - CCS in the Steel Industry” with his presentation, INITIATE: CO₂ Capture, Re-use and Sequestration Through Industrial Symbiosis of the Steel and Ammonia/Urea Industries. Eric's presentation complemented Nicola’s by further showcasing INITIATE’s role in driving sustainable practices and CO₂ reduction across these critical sectors.

More on Nicola’s presentation here.
More on Eric’s presentation here.