Verdox, a US-based climate technology firm, has achieved a major leap in the race to decarbonise heavy industry. In collaboration with Hydro, one of the world’s leading aluminium and renewable energy producers, the company has completed a first-of-its-kind trial capturing carbon directly from aluminium smelting emissions. The two-month pilot took place at Hydro’s Sunndal plant in Norway, the largest and most advanced primary aluminium facility in Europe.
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Verdox successfully removes carbon dioxide from exhaust streams containing just 1 per cent CO₂ concentration, a challenge long considered technically unfeasible and uneconomical. The process also proves resilient against impurities typically found in smelter off-gases, a key test of industrial readiness.
A defining step toward low-carbon aluminium
“Successful testing on industrial gases marks a defining milestone in Verdox’s scale-up and demonstrates that our technology is nearing industrial deployment,” said Friedrich von Gottberg, CEO of Verdox. He also added that the company’s electrochemical carbon-capture technology offers “the most energy and cost-efficient pathway to industrial decarbonisation.”
Hydro, which powers its Norwegian smelters largely with renewable hydropower, views carbon capture as essential to eliminate direct process emissions from the Hall–Héroult electrolytic process, one of the last significant CO₂ sources in aluminium production. “Our collaboration with Verdox has demonstrated the viability of an electrochemical solution,” noted Morten Landsgård, Head of Electrolysis Decarbonisation at Hydro Aluminium Metal.
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Towards commercial deployment
The trial forms part of Hydro’s broader effort to pioneer zero-carbon aluminium. Verdox is now preparing for larger-scale pilots and demonstration units, with the first commercial deployment targeted for 2029. The technology uses electricity to capture CO₂ instead of relying on heat or chemicals, marking a clear shift from conventional, energy-intensive methods.
Verdox says its electrochemical approach could link renewable energy use with direct emission removal, potentially helping aluminium reach net-zero production faster. As Hydro explores several carbon-capture pathways, Verdox’s results illustrate how all-electric solutions could reshape industrial sustainability.
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