Honeywell revealed SK Innovation and Energy, a Korea-based energy refining company, has selected Honeywell UOP for a feasibility study to retrofit SK’s hydrogen plant with carbon capture.

SK will explore capturing and sequestering 400,000 t of CO₂ from existing hydrogen production assets at its refinery in Ulsan, Korea using a range of Honeywell UOP technologies. The CO₂ will be re-injected into depleted natural gas reservoirs, beginning in 2026.

"We selected Honeywell UOP for this feasibility study because of their multiple proven cost-effective technologies for the capture of CO2 and hydrogen purification that will assist in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Seonjun Lee, head of Institute of Environmental Science & Technology of SK Innovation. “This project falls in line with the carbon neutrality initiative that South Korea has pledged to achieve by 2050."

"With the global demand for hydrogen expected to grow significantly within the next decade, hydrogen producers need a low-cost carbon capture system to help them meet their sustainability goals," said Ben Owens, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions. "Honeywell UOP is uniquely positioned for this feasibility study as our multiple technology offerings for carbon capture based on solvents, membranes, cryogenics, and pressure swing adsorption (PSA) systems can be optimized to meet the project needs."