POLICAP Launches: A Mobile CO₂ Capture Facility
A step forward in reducing carbon dioxide emissions: POLICAP, a mobile pilot laboratory for CO₂ capture using solvent-based technologies developed at the Politecnico di Milano, has been inaugurated in Piacenza.
POLICAP is an advanced research facility developed by the Department of Energy and funded under the PNRR as part of the national ECCSELLENT project. The project’s laboratories are part of the European ECCSEL-ERIC network and contribute to the development of CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage) technologies, which are essential for reducing emissions in industrial sectors.
The facility is designed to test CO₂ capture via solvent absorption. In addition to using conventional, widely adopted solutions, POLICAP was also created to test new materials, components and processes that deliver improved performance from a technical, economic, energy and environmental perspective. One of its distinctive features is its mobility: the transportable design allows installation at industrial sites, enabling experiments with both synthetic gases and actual emissions streams.
The main objectives include demonstrating high capture efficiencies, conducting performance tests representative of industrial conditions, and studying scale-up and industrialisation processes, supported by advanced digital models.
The project was conceived, designed and will be managed by a team from the Department of Energy at the Politecnico di Milano, led by Professors Manuele Gatti and Matteo Carmelo Romano and comprising Valeria Venturelli, Riccardo Cremona and Antonio Conversano. LEAP – Laboratorio Energia Ambiente Piacenza, a research centre founded and supported by Politecnico di Milano, also contributed to the project by supporting the installation of the plant.
With POLICAP, we strongly reaffirm that the green transition is no longer negotiable: it is a strategic priority, supported by significant investments such as those under the PNRR, and represents a decisive lever for the competitiveness of one of Europe’s most advanced industrial systems. The Politecnico di Milano, together with the Municipality of Piacenza and LEAP – Laboratorio Energia Ambiente Piacenza, constitutes a centre of excellence in energy and the ecological transition. The city is establishing itself as a place where research meets application: here, technologies are developed, tested and transferred to businesses, institutions and the local area.
Donatella Sciuto, Rector of the Politecnico di Milano
The project was presented during the fourth leg of City Vision’s 2026 Roadshow, which focused on the theme of ‘Transformative Energy’. The launch was attended by Donatella Sciuto, Rector of the Politecnico di Milano, Katia Tarasconi, Mayor of Piacenza, and Vincenzo Colla, Vice-President of the Emilia-Romagna Region.