Decarbonisation Technology August 2026 Issue

Decarbonisation through innovation

Explore some of the latest available sustainable technologies

delivers a high‑purity CO₂ stream required for synthesis. Axens’ post combustion CO 2 capture based on demixing solvent, DMX The DMX TM process, developed by IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) and Axens, is an advanced post‑combustion CO₂‑capture technology designed to reduce the energy penalty traditionally associated with amine‑based carbon capture units. Its core innovation lies in a demixing amine solvent that separates into CO₂‑rich and CO₂‑lean phases under controlled temperature and partial‑pressure conditions (see Figure 1 ). In the absorber, the solvent captures CO₂ from flue gas, with removal efficiencies of up to 99%, depending on design targets. The rich solvent is then preheated in the lean/rich exchanger to reach the conditions required for this phase separation in the decanter. The resulting CO₂‑lean phase is recycled directly to the absorber, while only the CO₂‑rich phase is sent to the stripper for regeneration. By regenerating only the CO₂‑rich phase rather than the full solvent stream, the process significantly reduces reboiler steam consumption and thereby lowers overall energy demand (see Figure 2 ). DMX is designed for industrial gases with 1-30% CO₂, making it applicable across all hard‑to‑abate sectors. The technology can be deployed in various scales: stick‑built, modular, or mobile pilots. Benefits of DMX compared to conventional amine‑based technologies The DMX process provides several engineering advantages over first‑generation amine technologies: • Versatility across flue‑gas sources : Applicable to multiple types of flue gas origins (1-30% CO2), compositions, and flow rates. • Low energy consumption : Selective regeneration of the CO₂‑rich phase reduces

Achieving net zero by 2050 demands a rapid and large-scale deployment of carbon management technologies. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that global CO₂ capture capacity must increase from today’s 50 Mt to more than 1,000 Mt by 2030 and exceed 6,000 Mt by mid-century. In parallel, low-emissions fuels are becoming indispensable for sectors where electrification is inherently constrained, such as long‑distance aviation, shipping, and heavy industry. Integrating amine-based CO₂ capture with e-fuel production (e-kerosene, e-methanol, and e-diesel) provides a credible pathway to circular carbon management. When the captured CO₂ is biogenic, it can be directly reused as a feedstock for e‑fuel synthesis, enabling truly sustainable, closed‑loop carbon flows. Carbon capture reduces source emissions, while the biogenic CO₂ serves as a feedstock for sustainable fuels. Moreover, thermal integration strengthens the economics: e‑fuel synthesis generates recoverable steam that can be used for solvent regeneration, and the capture unit Integrating amine-based carbon capture with e-fuel production: pathways toward low-carbon synthetic fuels

Absorption

Phase separation

CO lean phase

DMX™ solvent

CO rich phase

Figure 1 Demixing principle of DMX solvent