The DRIVE project is proud to announce the successful completion of its first public webinar, which took place on 3 July 2025 under the title:
“Unlocking Deep CO₂ Removal Innovations in Thermal and Electrochemical Capture Technologies”
The event was a key milestone for the project, bringing together researchers, industrial partners, and stakeholders from across Europe to present progress made during the first 18 months of implementation, showcase emerging technologies, and outline the path forward for deep CO₂ removal solutions.
🎯 Purpose of the Webinar
The webinar aimed to introduce the DRIVE project to a wider audience, explain the scientific and strategic rationale behind its approach, and share early results from laboratory and pilot-scale testing. It also served as a platform for raising awareness around the technological and environmental challenges of CO₂ capture, as well as the innovations being developed by the DRIVE consortium to address them.
🧪 What Was Presented
The session was opened by the project coordination team, who provided a comprehensive overview of the DRIVE concept, its objectives, work packages, and partnership structure.
Three main presentations followed:
🔹 Thermal-based CO₂ Capture (Work Package 2)
Dr. Peter Moser (RWE) presented results from real-world testing of amine-based CO₂ capture at the RWE pilot plant in Niederaussem, Germany. He shared insights from four major test campaigns, where deep removal levels above 99.9% were achieved, and emissions control strategies such as acid wash and dry bed filtering were evaluated successfully.
🔹 Electrochemical CO₂ Capture (Work Package 3)
Catarina Simões (TNO) and Diego di Domenico Pinto (HOVYU) introduced two pioneering technologies under development:
- CODEC: a single-step, electrified solvent regeneration method using potassium hydroxide and a pH-swing process.
- ZEUS: an innovative non-amine-based approach for CO₂ stripping at ambient temperature, using electro-membrane separation.
Both technologies aim to reduce energy requirements, eliminate solvent degradation, and reach TRL5-6 within the project.
🔹 Next Steps and WP4 Outlook
The coordination team concluded with an outlook on upcoming activities, including:
- Final long-term testing campaigns
- Preparation for on-site demonstrations at a CEMEX industrial plant in the Czech Republic
- Full-scale Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for different use cases
- Continued dissemination of results via publications, conferences, and the project’s digital channels
The webinar marked a significant milestone for the DRIVE project, as it not only introduced the initiative to a wider audience but also showcased its tangible progress to date. Through the presentations and discussions, the consortium successfully communicated that deep CO₂ removal is both technically feasible and environmentally relevant, whether through advanced thermal processes or next-generation electrochemical methods. The event demonstrated the project’s strong commitment to transparency, knowledge sharing, and stakeholder engagement, while also offering a first look at real data from pilot-scale testing and laboratory innovations. Most importantly, the webinar helped build momentum for the next phase of the project, which will focus on full-scale demonstration activities, economic and environmental evaluation, and the continued dissemination of results through publications, events, and online channels.
🎥 Missed the webinar? You can now watch the full recording on our YouTube channel:
👉 DRIVE Webinar Recording