Located in Wilsonville, Alabama, the National Carbon Capture Center’s primary function is technology development. Our focus is on accelerating the commercialization of technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-based power plants and industrial processes. We provide a neutral site for public and private research organizations to conduct meaningful tests under real-world operating conditions.
At our test facility, various advanced technologies such as solvents, sorbents, enzymes, membranes and hybrids are tested under commercially relevant conditions, while generating data to determine efficiency, environmental performance and economic viability. We can simultaneously test multiple technologies at various levels of maturity and scale. Highlights of current NCCC technology development include:
- 18+ technologies in queue to test
- Multiple technologies have progressed to front-end engineering design studies
- 15+ technologies confidently scaled to larger deployments, several to commercial scale
Post-Combustion Carbon Capture
Our test facilities include fully integrated solvent units and various test bays for developers to install test skids, including:
- Lab-scale Test Unit – houses small, indoor tabletop units
- Bench-scale Area – holds outdoor units with a footprint of up to 15 feet by 25 feet
- Pilot-scale Area – holds outdoor units with a footprint of up to 50 feet by 75 feet
We have parallel infrastructure for evaluating carbon capture technologies for natural gas and coal power plants. The natural gas testing system accurately represents state-of-the-art natural gas combined-cycle power generation. This unique facility can accommodate advanced designs such as high-temperature capture processes.
The facility, installed in 2011, uses flue gas from an 880-megawatt supercritical pulverized coal unit at Alabama Power’s Plant Gaston and has undergone significant modifications to enhance its testing capabilities.