Completed Projects

The Scottish Net Zero Roadmap (SNZR) project was part of a Government funded challenge to develop net zero industrial clusters by 2040.

The aim was to develop a road map to show how the industrial cluster along Scotland’s East Coast can be decarbonised. It is currently emitting some 9.3 million tonnes of CO₂ p.a. – This is around 80% of Scotland’s industrial emissions.

A number of scenarios were explored to establish a series of clearly defined pathways to net zero for the range of industrial sites within the Scottish industrial cluster. The project also investigated the infrastructure (renewables, hydrogen, carbon capture) necessary to deliver this and analyse the policy levers which can be used to support industrial decarbonisation.

The purpose of the roadmap was to allow the industrial sites within it to make informed decisions about their future activities and investments. It also allowed policy makers, infrastructure owners and site operators to work together to meet targets and shared goals, and to drive a just transition and ensure a prosperous future for Scotland.

The REALISE CCUS project unites industry experts and scientists from different nations in a concerted drive to support the refinery sector’s decarbonisation ambitions. The research, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme, focuses on the full CCUS chain – from CO₂ capture, transport and geological CO₂ storage to CO₂ reuse – for specific clusters which include refineries and other industries. The project results will support CCUS delivery by demonstrating the technology, enabling sizeable cost-reductions, undertaking public engagement and assessing financial, political and regulatory barriers. SCCS is responsible for communicating the results of this project and facilitating the exploitation of project outputs.

STRATEGY CCUS brought together scientists from ten European countries and aimed to support the development of low-carbon energy and industry in Southern and Eastern Europe.

The project focused on eight regions identified as promising for CCUS development, and supported initiatives by producing local development plans and business models tailored to industry’s needs.

The project, which involved 17 research institutes, included SCCS partner, the University of Edinburgh, and the SCCS Team itself. It was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

The LAUNCH project aimed to accelerate the development of novel solvents and the uptake of carbon capture in various industries.

The international collaboration, which included SCCS partner institutes and the SCCS Team, aimed to solve a major hurdle to scaling up certain CO₂ capture technologies, namely, solvent degradation. Project results helped develop a cost-effective strategy to control degradation and provide stable operating conditions for the lifetime of a CO₂ capture plant.

The NEWEST-CCUS project focused on the potential for creating negative carbon emissions in the waste to energy (WtE) sector through the use of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies.

Negative emissions compensates for hard-to-decarbonise sectors of the economy, such as food production, shipping or aviation. European interest in CCUS for WtE is growing as landfill sites are phased out.

The NEWEST-CCUS research team, which included the University of Edinburgh and the SCCS Team, assessed the size of the European market for CCUS for WtE and estimated the net CO₂ removal achievable.

The work built on research projects led by project partners in Germany and Norway, combined with expertise from the Netherlands and the UK.

ECCSELERATE built on the work of the ECCSEL ERIC initiative, supported by the European Union, which has gained worldwide recognition for its focus on infrastructure research within leading European CCS knowledge centres.

Taking forward recommendations from the European Commission, ECCSELERATE focused on the long-term sustainable operation of ECCSEL ERIC and increasing its in ongoing industrial CCS projects.

ECCSELERATE also looked at developing marketing, access and services models for industry and SMEs; increasing international collaborations; extending ECCSEL ERIC activities towards CO₂ utilisation; and expanding membership. SCCS contributed to the communication and knowledge sharing activities associated with this project.

The HyStorPor project, led by SCCS partner, the University of Edinburgh, focuses on the large-scale geological storage of energy in the form of hydrogen. Central to HyStorPor will be a new research centre on hydrogen usage and storage in Edinburgh.

Electricity generation from stored hydrogen can balance summer to winter seasonal energy demands. It can also replace methane for heating, a significant benefit as the heating of buildings is currently the largest source of carbon emissions in the UK.

HyStorPor will study sandstones from suitable UK formations and identify potential storage sites as case studies. However, the project’s outcomes and findings are expected to be of relevance in a range of international contexts. SCCS is leading the communication and outreach activities of this project.

The SECURe project gathered scientific evidence relating to monitoring the environment and mitigating risk in order to guide subsurface geoenergy development. The three-year project produced a set of best practice recommendations for establishing environmental baseline conditions for the geological storage of anthropogenic CO₂, including outputs addressing how to develop effective communications strategies with different stakeholder groups.

Collaboration with leading groups in the USA, Canada and Australia were a key part of the project, and the final results were of relevance and use to a variety of stakeholders, from project operators and regulators to policy makers and the wider public.

The SECURe partnership included major research and commercial organisations from seven European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland and United Kingdom), who shared results from the project more widely.

The ALIGN-CCUS project, an international partnership of 34 research institutes and industrial companies, provided blueprints to deliver CCUS in industrial regions in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway and Romania.

By helping to address specific issues faced by industry, it supported the quick and cost-effective deployment of CCUS, enabling Europe’s industrial and power sectors to be part of a low-carbon future while remaining economically viable.

Co-funded by the European Union’s ERA-NET Accelerating CCS Technologies (ACT) initiative, the project involved scientists from three SCCS partner institutes and professional staff from the SCCS Team.

The CCUS Projects Network represented and supported major industrial projects across Europe in the field of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU). The SCCS Team was one of six partner institutes on the Secretariat, which managed the network on behalf of its members and funder, the European Commission.

The network connected industry partners involved in real-life CCUS projects, which had the potential to deliver significant carbon emission reductions in Europe’s industrial regions. It provided member projects with opportunities for sharing knowledge and best practice alongside guidance on how to increase public awareness and acceptance of CCUS technologies.

By pooling the expertise of its project members, the Steering Committee and the Secretariat, the network provided advice to the Commission on the most effective way to deliver a commercially viable and technologically sound CCUS network for Europe.