Valecarb: CO2 recovery

Project details

  • Main leader : Alcion Environnement
  • Type of initiative : Individual initiative (company, etc.)
  • Périmètre : Commercialisation à vocation nationale voire internationale.
  • Localisation : 51 rue Blanchard Latour 33000 Bordeaux
  • Date de début : septembre 1920

Economy circular topics

  • Industrial and regional ecology
  • Recycling
  • Extending useful service life
  • Responsible consumption
  • Functional service economy
  • Eco-design
  • Sustainable procurement
Description

The Valecarb process is used to process and recover CO2 in the form of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). It is a tool to reduce the carbon footprint of vineyards and that related to transporting bicarbonate by producing it locally, close to where it is used.

Sodium bicarbonate can be recovered from flue gas treatment, water treatment, chemistry, cosmetics and the food industry.

When heated, bicarbonate breaks down to produce CO2; it can therefore be used to store CO2 temporarily. CO2 can be used for plant growth or for food applications.

Qualitative benefits

Obtain sodium bicarbonate equivalent to the original industrial product specifications.

Stages of the initiative

2009: 1st test performed in a cellar

Current situation: A facility in operation at Château Smith Haut Lafitte

2 facilities ordered

1 facility planned for a cooperative winery

Drying sodium bicarbonate - finding a site and financing

Driving forces:

  • Smith Haut Lafitte who placed their trust in us for the demonstrator
  • Support from CRA for the development of the demonstrator.

Obstacle: the difficulty of finding funding for industrial development.

Areas of activity

  • Agriculture
  • Food
  • Chemistry
  • Energy
  • Industry
  • Recycling

Resources

  • Food
  • Chemicals
Implementation

Technical resources

Sodium bicarbonate production process: liquid gas reactors, filtration, compression, drying.

Human resources

3 people

Financers

  • Alcion Environnement: fonds propre

  • Région Aquitaine

  • CIR
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Author of the page

JEAN PHILIPPE RICARD

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