hermodynamic, amine-free
CO₂ capture for heavy industry
Tree Capture captures CO₂ from concentrated industrial flue gas and compresses it to a transportable, high-purity fluid in a single integrated step. No solvent chemistry. No amine degradation. No hazardous handling. ~50% lower cost than the conventional amine reference.
Amine-Free Carbon Capture
What Tree Capture does differently
Conventional carbon capture uses liquid amine solvents. They degrade, they consume large amounts of heat to regenerate, they produce hazardous waste, and they create a significant permitting liability for any operator that relies on them.
Tree Capture takes a thermodynamic approach. The process uses the physical properties of CO₂ under pressure — not chemical reactions with a solvent — to capture and separate it from flue gas. The result is a compressed, high-purity CO₂ stream ready for transport and storage, produced at materially lower cost with a fraction of the operational complexity.
Because the unit is standardised rather than bespoke, it deploys across cement, iron and steel, FCC refining, and lime without redesigning the engineering each time. One approach. Multiple high-value sectors.
Why the amine approach has reached its limits
- ✗ ~€80/t cost of capture for cement — the European reference
- ✗ Heavy energy penalty from solvent regeneration heat
- ✗ Amine degradation and emissions — growing permitting liability
- ✗ Hazardous chemical storage and make-up requirement
- ✗ Complex, site-specific engineering — slow and expensive
Performance — Modelled, SINTEF Validated
Technical Performance
All performance data is independently validated at lab scale by SINTEF — the same organisation that produced the CEMCAP benchmark used as the amine reference.
| Parameter | Tree Capture | Conventional Amine (MEA Reference) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of capture (cement) | ~€40/t — ~50% lower | ~€80/t (CEMCAP reference) |
| CO₂ capture efficiency | >95% | 85–90% |
| Output purity | >99% | 95–99% (with full post-processing) |
| Amine use | None | MEA or advanced amine solvents throughout |
| Permitting risk | Materially lower | Amine emissions = growing regulatory liability |
| Unit design | Standardised, multi-sector | Site-specific, custom engineering |
| CO₂ streams addressed | ≥10% concentration | Optimised for dilute streams |
¹ Modelled cost of CO₂ avoided vs CEMCAP MEA reference. ² Modelled; to be validated at IFCEM demonstration. Independent validation by SINTEF.
WHY NOW
Regulation has made capture unavoidable.
The economics already work.
CBAM — Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
Prices the embedded carbon in goods imported into the EU. Emissions can no longer be relocated to a jurisdiction with weaker carbon pricing. Industrial operators face the same carbon cost wherever they produce.
ETS Free Allowances Ending
The free allowances that shielded EU heavy industry from the full carbon price are being phased out. Installations increasingly pay the full cost to emit — on a published, predictable schedule.
A Rising, Predictable Carbon Price
~€90/t today. Widely expected to rise toward €150/t. Tree's capture cost of ~€40/t is already below today's carbon price. The gap widens every year. This is demand-pull, not technology-push.
At €90/t carbon price and ~€40/t capture cost, Tree Capture is already cheaper than emitting — before the carbon price rises further.
Business Model
Feasibility → Demonstration → EPC → MRV
A staged, capital-light pathway. Each stage qualifies, de-risks, and funds the next. The MRV platform is the venture-scale layer — recurring,
carbon-indexed, with software-like economics.
Feasibility Study
Paid, site-specific study. First revenue. Qualifies and scopes the site for demonstration. Entry point for the customer relationship.
First RevenueOn-site Demonstrator
Modular Tree Capture unit on the live industrial site. Proves real-world performance. IFCEM is this stage — operational now.
De-risks the SiteEPC-Built Installation
An EPC partner and project finance carry the full-scale build. Tree Associates remains capital-light while the full-scale asset operates.
Capital-LightMRV Platform
Measurement, Reporting and Validation. A recurring, carbon-indexed annuity on every installation. Revenue grows with the carbon price.
Recurring RevenueWhy the MRV platform matters: The platform holds each operator's compliance evidence chain for EU ETS, CBAM and CRCF requirements. Replacing it means re-papering regulatory compliance. That structural switching cost, combined with revenue indexed to a rising carbon price, creates software-like economics at scale.
Start with a Feasability Study
The entry point is a paid, site-specific feasibility study. If your facility sits in the ≥10% CO₂ stream envelope — cement, steel, FCC, or lime — get in touch.