A 16-member French consortium has just launched a next-generation industrial boiler designed to facilitate the capture of CO₂ emitted during gas combustion.

The low-carbon gas boiler Ch0C was commissioned at the Villers-Saint-Paul site (Oise) after three years of agile and collaborative work and is aimed at industrial companies requiring CO₂ in their processes. Designed to enable a very high level of decarbonisation at competitive cost, the Babcock Wanson boiler is equipped with a state-of-the-art burner (Pillard OXYFLAM®1) and a capture and liquefaction system developed by Verdemobil Biogaz.

The innovation of the Ch0C boiler is based on the principle of oxy-combustion, which replaces air with oxygen during combustion. This process not only concentrates the CO₂ produced for capture and recovery but also improves the boiler’s performance. For the same amount of gas consumed, the boiler allows better use of the heat produced—a major expectation from industrial players.

The carbon impact associated with the production of steam and hot water is also drastically reduced. This is because the CO₂ is recovered directly at the boiler outlet instead of being released into the atmosphere. Compared to alternative solutions, the carbon impact is halved when the CO₂ is recovered. The higher the power, the more competitive the Ch0C boiler becomes. As such, it’s expected to meet the high levels of decarbonisation imposed on industrial players.

The Ch0C boiler is expected to be commercialised as early as next year. In terms of total operating cost (excluding taxes), the equipment should offer a 40% reduction in cost per kWh of steam produced compared with an electric boiler and at least equivalent to that of a biomass boiler.

According to a press statement released by the consortium, replacing 1,000 industrial boilers with this new boiler could prevent the emission of 4 million tons of CO₂ per year. There are potentially 2,000 such boilers in the French market with power ranges between 1 MW and 20 MW.

The consortium, led by Naldeo Technologies & Industries, brings together energy providers, equipment manufacturers, scientific experts, and industrial companies. Babcock Wanson, ENGIE Solutions, Fives, GRDF, NaTran, TotalEnergies, and VERDEMOBIL BIOGAZ are project partners. Agrial, Agro Mousquetaires, Bonduelle, Carboneo, Coca-Cola, Constellium, Eiffage Énergie Systèmes, and the University of Paris are observer members.

Read the full press release here.