Published:
Important research into carbon capture and its potential impact on climate change has received a major financial boost.
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise have each committed £50,000 to support the UK's largest research, industry and government partnership in carbon capture, use and storage.
Established with SFC funding in 2005, Scottish Carbon Capture & Storage (SCCS) is a research and knowledge exchange partnership between Heriot-Watt University, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Strathclyde, and the British Geological Survey.
Carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) is a group of technologies that capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at source to prevent them being vented to the atmosphere and escalating climate change. CCUS can decarbonise the power, industry, heat and transport sectors, which account for 83% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. SCCS brings together world-leading CCUS expertise and facilities, and builds partnerships with industry and government to support the development of CCUS in the UK and internationally.
Welcoming the latest announcement is Professor Eric Mackay, Heriot-Watt's longest standing member of the SCCS Directorate. He said: “At Heriot-Watt, we pride ourselves on our high-quality research that continues to have a positive effect on communities across the world.
“Climate Change is undoubtedly, the great scientific challenge of the modern age and this £150,000 investment will allow us to better understand the impact carbon is having on our planet and the potential measures that can be taken to lessen its impact through the Scottish Carbon Capture & Storage partnership.”
Scientists from Heriot-Watt University, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Aberdeen worked with other experts in the UK, the Netherlands and Norway to model CO2 storage characteristics, while Robert Gordon University researched public perception around the project and the role of CCUS.