KUCHING: Sarawak is keen to work with Imperial College London (ICL) on carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a future technology for energy transition.
Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (MEESty) Dr Hazland Abg Hipni visited the institution’s Chemical Engineering Department recently to learn more about the latest research on CCS.
He expressed interest in collaborating with ICL on CCS and energy transition-related research, particularly focusing on projects that are close to pilot and deployment stages.
CCS is an area that the Sarawak government is actively pushing in line with the ambitions of Sarawak’s Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS).
MEESty, in a statement today, said the institution, through industrial collaboration, has an extensive CCS research programme to answer current and future challenges in CCS.
Its Chemical Engineering Department and Petronas Research Sdn Bhd (PRSB) jointly hosted the deputy minister and his delegation.
The visit included a sharing session on the Petronas-ICL collaboration and a tour of the amine-based carbon capture pilot plant.
The pilot plant provided an opportunity for undergraduate students to troubleshoot simulated process incidents and gain practical experience in operating a carbon capture plant.
The amine-based carbon capture process is a crucial step in the CCS process, as it helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere before the injection and storage of the captured CO2, ultimately aiming to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
Additionally, the visit included a quick visit to the energy lab, where new non-lithium-based battery technologies were showcased.
These technologies utilise cheaper and readily available materials, reducing dependency on lithium and cobalt.
The visit concluded with a presentation by Malaysian postgraduate students working on CCS and specialty chemicals, highlighting potential use cases to enhance carbon storage efficiency.
MEESty head of Energy Ikmal Hisham Maharon was also present during the sharing session.
