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Walloon industry emerges as a pioneer in decarbonisation with a 5.6M euros pilot project to capture industrial CO₂
Six partners – Aperam, ArcelorMittal Industeel, Cinergie, ARK Capture Solutions, Certech and UMONS – are launching CO₂ DISRUPT, an economically viable CO₂ capture project targeting low-concentration industrial flue gases.
2025 November, 12 – A consortium of pioneers led by ARK Capture Solutions is rolling out CO₂ DISRUPT, a €5.6 million project co-labeled by the GreenWin and MecaTech clusters, with the support of the Walloon Region.
This ambitious collaborative initiative aims to develop and implement a disruptive CO₂ capture technology at stack level. A mobile pilot unit, capable of capturing between 1 and 2 tonnes of CO₂ per day, will be developed by ARK Capture Solutions and tested at three major Walloon industrial sites: Aperam Châtelet, ArcelorMittal Industeel Belgium and Cinergie Fleurus. The consortium also includes two leading scientific partners, UMONS and Certech.
The primary driver of global warming lies in anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Over 50% of these emissions originate from flue gases with CO₂ concentrations between 4% and 15%. While industrial players are actively pursuing energy efficiency projects and exploring electrification, green hydrogen and biomass solutions, they widely acknowledge that achieving deep decarbonisation in the short to medium term requires the deployment of carbon capture, followed by CO₂ storage or utilisation. To date, however, no economically viable CO₂ capture technology currently exists for flue gases with CO₂ concentrations between 4% and 15%. The main sectors affected include energy production, steel, glass and petrochemicals.
It is in this context, and to accelerate the deployment of effective CO₂ capture solutions, that the CO₂ DISRUPT project was launched. It aims to develop carbon capture technology, enable the production of low-carbon steel coils and plates, decarbonised electricity, food-grade biogenic CO₂, as well as the associated production processes. The project also includes decarbonisation consulting services and gas analysis activities.
Certech will be responsible for all analytical developments, while UMONS will contribute its expertise in gas separation and purification technologies, as well as in the modeling of complex industrial processes.
For Cinergie, a key biogas player in Wallonia, residual CO₂ capture represents a strategic solution to enhance the efficiency of its biomethanisation process and maximise the value of its outputs. This model could be extended across the Walloon biogas sector. For Aperam and Industeel, the project provides an opportunity to further strengthen their differentiation and safeguard employment. ARK Capture Solutions, for its part, aims to establish itself as a leading provider of CO₂ capture technologies.
Beyond its direct contribution to the decarbonisation of Walloon industry, the CO₂ DISRUPT project supports the development of high value-added local expertise. In the long term, this innovation is expected to create and sustain skilled jobs in Wallonia, while accelerating the climate transition through the direct reduction of CO₂ emissions. It thereby positions the region as a leading technological hub in the field of carbon capture.
“This project demonstrates that Wallonia can lead the way in industrial decarbonisation innovation while creating local value”
The projected CO₂ capture market is immense. The required global capture capacity to be built between now and 2050 is estimated at 4 billion tonnes, representing an equipment market worth approximately €1.6 trillion over the period 2030–2050.
With CO₂ DISRUPT, the consortium partners are sending a strong signal: investing in decarbonisation means preparing a sustainable and competitive industrial future.
© 2025 ARK Capture Solutions. CO₂ DISRUPT: Walloon industry launches €5.6M pilot for industrial CO₂ capture [Press release, translated from French and available above].
