Verdox Trial Proves All-Electric CO2 Capture From Aluminum Emissions

U.S.-based climate technology firm Verdox has completed a breakthrough trial demonstrating the capture of carbon emissions directly from aluminum smelting — one of the most stubborn industrial sources of greenhouse gases. The pilot, conducted with Hydro, the Norwegian aluminum and renewable energy producer, marks a step toward making low-carbon aluminum a commercial reality.

Hydro (formerly known as Norsk Hydro) owns a stake in Verdox and the two-month test took place at its Sunndal plant, the largest primary aluminum production facility in Europe. There, Verdox successfully removed carbon dioxide from an exhaust stream with just 1% CO2 concentration — an exceptionally low level that has historically made capture both technically and economically prohibitive. The process also withstood impurities typically found in aluminum-smelting off-gases.

“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, Verdox’s chief executive. “Electrochemical carbon-capture offers the most energy and cost-efficient pathway to industrial decarbonization.”

Hydro, which already powers its Norwegian plants entirely with renewable energy, views carbon capture as a necessary step to address the direct process emissions from the Hall-Héroult electrolytic process — the last major source of CO2 in aluminum production. “Our collaboration with Verdox has demonstrated the viability of an electrochemical solution,” said Morten Landsgård, head of electrolysis decarbonization at Hydro Aluminium Metal. “We are eager to continue maturing it as one of several carbon capture technologies now being evaluated for industrial-scale application.”

Verdox is scaling up its technology toward pilot and demonstration units over the next several years, with the first commercial deployment targeted for 2029. The company commissioned a pilot unit in October 2025 to validate performance at larger scale.

Verdox’s electrochemical approach was first showcased for air and flue gas capture applications. The latest results extend that vision into heavy industry, signaling a potential leap forward for industrial decarbonization where traditional capture methods have struggled.

NOTE – This article was originally published in Carbon Herald and can be viewed here