18 Aug. 2026: Veolia, the UK’s leading resource management company, and Sheffield City Council, are today announcing the successful trial of an innovative carbon capture technology at the Sheffield Energy Recovery Facility (ERF). In a UK first, Veolia has successfully demonstrated the potential of a next generation, non-amine alternative to traditional carbon capture systems in the UK waste sector.

This demonstration project represents an important step in assessing the role that carbon capture technologies can play in decarbonising hard-to-abate emissions. It is intended as a complementary solution alongside waste prevention, increased recycling, eco-design and other measures to reduce fossil carbon entering the waste stream, rather than as a standalone answer to climate change, and forms part of the Group’s wider research and development into a range of carbon capture techniques.

The trial, delivered in partnership with clean technology company C-Capture, tested a novel non-amine solvent originally discovered by researchers at the University of Leeds, and is currently capturing up to one tonne of carbon dioxide per day from the Sheffield facility’s flue gas. In simple terms, the technology captures CO₂ from the facility’s flue gases before they are released into the atmosphere, using a specially developed solvent that can then be regenerated and reused.

While the initial results are promising, this pilot also reflects the current stage of carbon capture technologies. Their large-scale deployment will depend on the availability of supporting infrastructure, appropriate regulatory frameworks, viable business models and continued public investment.

The carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry is experiencing significant investment. The UK government has committed up to £21.7 billion in funding over 25 years to support the development of CCS, which it projects could add £5 billion annually to the UK economy by 2050. This funding is predominantly focused around designated carbon clusters, and given that over half of emissions occur outside of clusters this presents a missed opportunity to support dispersed industrial assets across the country that could benefit from carbon capture and utilisation technologies.