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
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
Technical resources
Sodium bicarbonate production process: liquid gas reactors, filtration, compression, drying.
Human resources
3 people
Financers
- Alcion Environnement: fonds propre
- Région Aquitaine
- CIR