THE INITIATE NEWSLETTER – JULY 2025 – IS ONLINE NOW

Dear INITIATE Partners,

The INITIATE project continues to make strong progress in its mission to convert steel industry emissions into low-carbon ammonia and urea, a cleaner solution for energy and fertiliser.

In recent months, advances were made across engineering and construction of our pilot, while the functional materials have been produced using industrial assets and delivered to our site in Sweden. Despite technical challenges during engineering and construction, the project remains on track.

Pilot plant construction is progressing steadily. The SEWGS system was streamlined from six to three columns to save costs, while ammonia production was adapted to operate at lower pressure without loss of capacity. Most detailed engineering is complete, with upgrades to safety systems and emergency planning. Installation issues found during commissioning are being resolved ahead of the first full trial.

Positive business cases to convert steel arising gases to ammonia and urea were established, and the main cost drivers, benefits and uncertainties were identified. Typical for CO₂ capture, utilisation and sequestration solutions, the need for policies and guidelines on CO₂ transport and storage, ETS and CBAM pricing, as well as funding opportunities, remains essential for long-term implementation.

In materials development, new sorbents and catalysts are now ready for pilot testing. Innovative shaping techniques were validated to support future scale-up, and gas purification methods were fine-tuned using simulations to reflect real steel plant conditions.

INITIATE also led two key events in 2025. On 24 April, the project co-hosted a roundtable in Brussels with CO₂ Value Europe, bringing together CCU experts to discuss how to turn emissions into valuable products and boost industrial sustainability. Earlier, from 26–27 February, INITIATE co-organised the International Forum on CCU/CCS in Oviedo, Spain, showcasing its technology alongside seven other EU projects.

Thanks to collaborative effort and continuous innovation, INITIATE is bringing us closer to sustainable, circular ammonia production rooted in industrial decarbonisation.

Enjoy reading our newsletter, and have a nice Summer break.

Eric van Dijk
INITIATE Project Coordinator