Decarbonisation Technology February 2026 Issue

Advanced structured packing for economical decarbonisation Next-generation mass transfer technology unlocks efficiency gains in post-combustion carbon capture

Taylor Topham, Anand Vennavelli, and Zack Bondley Koch-Glitsch

D ecarbonising industrial sectors remains one of the foremost challenges in achieving global emissions reduction targets. As industries strive to meet increasingly stringent regulatory and sustainability objectives, solvent-based post-combustion carbon capture (PCCC) has emerged as the primary solution for mitigating CO 2 emissions from large stationary sources. Over several decades, the deployment of PCCC technologies has been instrumental in reducing the carbon footprint of sectors such as power generation, hydrogen production, cement, oil and gas, and waste processing, cementing its role as a cornerstone of industrial decarbonisation strategies. Despite this maturity, PCCC faces two persistent and interrelated challenges: the evolution of solvent chemistries to improve CO 2 capture efficiency and reduce energy consumption, and the critical function of absorber and regenerator packing and internals in enabling these advancements. While significant attention has been directed toward solvent development, the design and performance of mass transfer packing and internals remain equally pivotal in determining the overall efficiency, operability, and cost-effectiveness of carbon capture systems. A unique challenge in PCCC is its inherently low operating pressure, which makes blower energy the dominant operating cost. Flue gas can contain as little as 4% CO₂; consequently, this requires enormous volumes, often hundreds of thousands of cubic metres per hour, to be processed with minimal pressure drop, driving the need for absorber columns that can exceed 10-15 metres in diameter. Under these conditions, every millibar of pressure drop matters, so internals optimised

for low-pressure operation provide significantly greater savings compared to conventional high- pressure designs, making advanced structured packing and efficient gas-liquid distribution critical for economic viability. The scale of these towers presents unique engineering, construction, and operational challenges. Large-diameter columns require robust structural design to withstand internal pressures, wind loads, and seismic forces, while also ensuring optimal gas and liquid distribution across the entire cross-section to achieve the efficiency target. The height and volume drive up material, fabrication, and installation costs, making innovations that enable more compact and efficient design, such as advanced structured packing, even more valuable for the economic viability of large-scale carbon capture projects. Under these conditions, minimising pressure drop within the absorber is essential to reduce blower energy requirements and operational costs while maintaining high mass transfer efficiency to achieve stringent CO 2 removal targets. Koch-Glitsch has developed Flexipac CP structured packing for aqueous amine systems in low-pressure PCCC applications. The design incorporates geometric enhancements that improve liquid spreading and maximise surface area utilisation, which are critical for efficient CO₂ absorption and mass transfer. These improvements deliver measurable benefits: higher CO₂ capture rates that reduce the overall cost of capture and reduced solvent requirements that lower emissions and regeneration energy costs. Optimised packing technology also enables smaller column dimensions, minimising capital investment for large-scale PCCC systems.