The UK’s largest carbon capture project will convert 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the highly beneficial chemical sodium bicarbonate. Eliminating this amount of carbon dioxide is equivalent to taking 20,000 cars off the road and will help the UK reach its net zero carbon emissions target by 2050.
Sodium bicarbonate can be used in baking soda for food and medical purposes and in dialysis machines and pharmaceuticals. Europe’s Tata Chemicals has opened a new plant in Northwich, aiming to reduce the company’s carbon emissions by more than 10%.
Carbon dioxide will be extracted from the plant’s methane gas plant, cooled and liquefied before being refined. The cost of the plant is 20 million euros, with 4 million euros provided by the British government.
The process used by the company to convert carbon dioxide into sodium bicarbonate has been patented in the UK.
