Cleanova, a global provider of advanced industrial filtration solutions, has secured a contract to supply critical filtration systems for the Liverpool Bay Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Transportation and Storage project, part of the UK government’s HyNet North West low-carbon and hydrogen initiative.

The contract was awarded by Saipem, the international engineering, procurement and construction company responsible for converting an existing gas compression and treatment facility at Point of Ayr, North Wales, into a CO₂ Electrical Compression Station. The facility will enable the permanent storage of captured CO₂ emissions from heavy industry across North West England and North Wales, with compressed CO₂ injected into depleted hydrocarbon fields beneath Liverpool Bay.

Under the agreement, Cleanova will supply purpose-engineered filtration units designed to ensure operational efficiency, safety and long-term reliability across the CO₂ transportation and storage process. Each unit, weighing around 50 tonnes, will remove residual amines, water, hydrocarbons and other condensed liquids or particulates from the captured CO₂ stream. Removing these impurities is critical to protecting compression equipment, maintaining process integrity and enabling safe, long-term storage.

The Liverpool Bay project is a cornerstone of the HyNet North West industrial decarbonisation cluster and is expected to support the capture and permanent storage of up to 4.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. Once fully operational, the project will make a significant contribution to the UK’s net-zero targets and wider energy-transition objectives.

Macer Braidwood, Cleanova’s global market manager ‐ energy transition, said, “Our custom filtration systems already play a vital role in the energy transition by capturing emissions and purifying process streams across a wide-range of clean-energy applications. Being selected to support the UK's first large-scale carbon capture and storage project is an important milestone for Cleanova. We are proud to partner with Saipem on the Liverpool Bay CCS project and to contribute our filtration expertise to an initiative that will deliver meaningful, long-term environmental impact. It is another step to our mission to provide filtration solutions today for a better tomorrow.” 

Holcim has joined the Alliance for Industry Decarbonization (AFID) under the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), reinforcing its commitment to supporting the transition towards low-carbon construction in the UAE and across the wider region.

The membership was formalised during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2026 and represents a strategic milestone for Holcim UAE, signalling a shift from site-level operational decarbonisation to broader sector-wide leadership. Through its participation in AFID, Holcim is aligning itself with a government-led platform that brings together policymakers, international organisations and industrial leaders to accelerate decarbonisation across hard-to-abate sectors.

AFID focuses on advancing the deployment of technologies, policies and investment frameworks that enable meaningful emissions reductions in energy- and carbon-intensive industries. By joining the alliance, Holcim aims to contribute its operational expertise in sustainable building materials and construction solutions to policy and industry discussions shaping the UAE’s industrial future.

Holcim said its participation reflects a deliberate emphasis on collaboration with governments and industry peers, ensuring that regulatory frameworks, technology pathways and investment signals are grounded in real-world industrial experience. The company has positioned itself as an active contributor to dialogues that seek to balance ambition with practical implementation.

“Industry decarbonisation requires practical action at scale, supported by the right policy direction. Joining AFID allows Holcim to engage at that intersection, bringing perspective shaped by practical experience to conversations that matter for the UAE’s low-carbon future,” said Ali Said, CEO of Holcim UAE and Oman.

AFID’s work spans several priority areas, including renewables, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), circularity, green hydrogen, human capital development and climate-aligned finance. These focus areas closely align with Holcim’s long-term strategy, in which sustainability underpins how the business operates, invests and collaborates across its value chain.

In the UAE, Holcim has been steadily advancing initiatives aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of construction materials, while supporting national climate objectives and industrial competitiveness. Through AFID, the company will be able to engage more closely with decision-makers and industry stakeholders to help shape enabling conditions for large-scale decarbonisation.

Holcim said that contributing to alliance-led initiatives allows it to go beyond individual projects and play a role in building the broader systems required for a low-carbon industrial economy. This includes supporting knowledge sharing, fostering partnerships and helping to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies across the construction and materials sectors.

By joining AFID, Holcim reinforces its position as a long-term partner committed to advancing sustainable construction in the United Arab Emirates, while contributing to regional and global efforts to decarbonise industry in line with climate targets.

Volvo Penta has introduced the G17 natural gas engine, expanding its power generation portfolio with a solution designed to support fuel flexibility, lower emissions and resilient energy systems as the global energy transition accelerates.

The G17 is the natural gas counterpart to Volvo Penta’s established D17 genset engine and forms part of the company’s wider transformation journey. Designed to meet rising demand for dependable and lower-emission power, the engine offers a pathway for customers seeking to decarbonise operations without compromising on performance or reliability.

“The energy transition isn’t one-size-fits-all,” says Kristian Vekas, Product Manager for Industrial Power Generation at Volvo Penta. “It requires multiple technologies and fuel pathways working in parallel. The G17 expands our power generation portfolio with a gas option engineered to meet rising global demand for dependable, lower-emission solutions that are backed by the strength of the Volvo Group and our global support network. It reflects our commitment to providing customers with fit-for-purpose solutions to support their energy objectives as the landscape continues to evolve.”

Built on the same heavy-duty platform as the D17, the G17 is a 17-litre, six-cylinder, spark-ignited engine capable of operating on both pipeline-quality natural gas and renewable natural gas. This dual-fuel capability allows operators to reduce carbon intensity while maintaining uptime, durability and responsiveness in mission-critical applications.

“The G17 is engineered to deliver lower emissions without trade-offs,” says Kristian. “Its flexible fuel capability helps reduce carbon intensity while maintaining the power density, responsiveness and durability customers expect from Volvo Penta’s heavy-duty platform.”

Engineered to deliver approximately 450 kWe at 1,800 rpm, the G17 provides high power output from a compact footprint. Its smaller enclosure enables reduced installation space and lower housing material costs, while fast load acceptance supports reliable performance during demand surges or grid transitions. The engine’s pipeline-ready design allows direct connection to existing gas infrastructure, simplifying installation and removing the need for additional fuel-conditioning systems.

The G17 has been developed to deliver reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Advanced combustion controls, low-pressure Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and a high-efficiency three-way catalyst enable compliance with US EPA stationary power application standards, positioning the engine as a viable option for operators with strong ESG targets or operations in air quality-sensitive zones.

Its compact, stackable platform makes the engine well suited for space-constrained environments such as data centres. It can also be integrated into hybrid energy systems that combine internal combustion engines, renewable fuels and battery storage, enabling scalable and adaptable power architectures.

Supported by Volvo Penta’s global dealer network, the G17 is intended to deliver long-term performance and reliability. “With the G17 gas engine, Volvo Penta is expanding its ability to deliver integrated energy solutions that combine proven technology, emerging fuel pathways and strong service,” Kristian concludes.

The Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) has published an extended second version of its latest report, presenting eleven peer-reviewed lifecycle assessment (LCA) case studies that examine the carbon footprint of materials and products made from renewable carbon compared with fossil-based alternatives.

The case studies represent what RCI describes as the highest possible scientific standard and have all been peer-reviewed by external, independent experts. They assess products developed by RCI members Avantium (Netherlands), BASF (Germany), Braskem (United States), Econic (United Kingdom), Fibenol (Estonia), IFF (United States), LanzaTech (United States), Lenzing (Austria), Neste (Finland), Peter Greven (Germany) and Primient Covation (United States).

According to the report, the carbon footprint of chemicals and materials has become one of the most critical indicators at a time when the United Nations continues to issue “Code Red” warnings on climate change. Fossil resources are identified as the primary driver of human-induced climate change, accounting for more than 70% of global warming. While sectors such as energy can decarbonise by shifting away from fossil fuels, carbon-dependent industries face a different challenge.

For the chemical and materials sectors, carbon is an essential feedstock that cannot be eliminated. Instead, the report argues that defossilisation is required to prevent further influxes of fossil carbon into industrial carbon cycles and the atmosphere. This involves replacing fossil feedstocks with renewable carbon sources, including bio-based, CO₂-based and recycled carbon.

However, the report also stresses that alternative production pathways cannot be assumed to be automatically better for the climate. Transparent and robust evaluation is required, taking into account process emissions, energy demand and current production scales. Without this, claims of environmental superiority risk being misleading.

The eleven peer-reviewed LCAs presented in the report provide what RCI describes as conclusive proof that renewable carbon products already available on the market can deliver substantial greenhouse gas reductions. Across the case studies, GHG savings range from 30% to as much as 90% when compared with fossil-based counterparts. The findings also indicate that, as technologies mature and scale up, there is significant potential for further emission reductions in the future.

RCI said the evidence base created by the report is intended to inform both policy-makers and investors, countering concerns that the climate benefits of renewable carbon remain theoretical. A central conclusion is that reducing the introduction of additional fossil carbon today will lessen the future reliance on costly atmospheric carbon removal technologies.

By enabling more circular carbon loops, the report concludes that renewable carbon feedstocks already represent a proven and viable pathway for defossilising chemical industries in line with global climate targets.