Italian engineering group Saipem has bought carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technology belonging to Canada’s CO2 Solutions (CSI) for an undisclosed sum.

CSI has developed the technology during the past 20 years with support from the Canadian federal and Alberta provincial governments, as well as the EU and US. The technology, said Saipem, is based on a unique enzymatic CO₂ capture process that does not use or emit toxic products, can run at scale (30 t/day of CO₂) and has been validated by “credible” third parties.

Saipem has also acquired CSI’s portfolio of intellectual property, which consists of more than 90 patents granted or pending and trademarks, along with a CO₂ capture unit at a pulp mill in Saint-Felicien, Quebec.

The acquisition will support Saipem’s strategy to help customers manage the energy transition, said Maurizio Coratella, chief operating officer of the company's onshore engineering and construction division. He commented: “The assets and technology purchased will help us expand our green products portfolio and will underpin our resolve to support the industry toward a low carbon energy future.”

CSI explained that the sale to Saipem is part of a court-supervised bankruptcy process. The Superior Court of Quebec approved the sale to the Italian group on Dec. 19, 2019.

A second transaction, which the court approved on Jan. 17, was the sale of a pilot CO₂ capture unit to Canadian paraxylene producer Chimie Parachem. The company, owned by Canadian energy firm Suncor and investment group Investissement Quebec, had provided space on its site in Montreal East, Quebec, for CSI’s demonstration unit along with the necessary amenities.

According to the terms of the transaction, Chimie Parachem may resell the facility in the coming months.