ASCO CARBONDIOXIDE: Turning Carbon into Opportunity
From Switzerland, perfectly packaged technology solutions are driving decarbonisation while creating a valuable product for industry. ASCO Carbondioxide has proven itself as an engineering expert in carbon capture and processing, and is now targeting further involvement in decarbonisation projects around the world. MD Ralph Spring talks to Energy Focus about expanding sustainably.
The conversations within the global energy sector around carbon are shifting rapidly from ambitious hopes to delivery. As governments and industry pursue credible decarbonisation pathways, technologies capable of capturing carbon dioxide at source are becoming central to the transition. One company that has built decades of expertise in this space is ASCO Carbondioxide, a Swiss engineering specialist that has spent more than half a century refining the science and practical deployment of CO2-recovery systems around the world.
For ASCO the business of carbon recovery is both technical and pragmatic. Its plants are designed to capture emissions from industrial processes purify the gas and transform it into a valuable commodity for use across sectors including food and beverage manufacturing chemicals and energy. The same engineering capability also sits at the centre of a growing wave of decarbonisation projects where industries are under pressure to cut emissions while maintaining operational reliability.
Managing Director, Ralph Spring, who has been with the business for a decade, explains how the company’s long experience continues to shape its direction today.
“Our company is 60 people, and we are headquartered in Switzerland. We have facilities in Germany, France, and the USA. We are part of the Messer Group. We have two main products including dry ice production machines in different sizes for cold chain applications, and carbon capture plants which we sell worldwide. We work closely with Messer Engineering, and we distribute across the globe but with a focus on Europe, Africa, Middle East and then the rest of the world.”
For more than five decades the company has designed and built systems capable of recovering CO2 from a wide range of industrial streams including fermentation ammonia production biogas facilities and stack gases from power plants. Each installation demands a different engineering approach, yet the objective remains the same: capture the gas efficiently, purify it, and prepare it for reuse within the wider industrial ecosystem.
Spring says the company’s portfolio has grown alongside that capability. “In Europe, we have the merchant market for industrial use across food and beverage, but the CCUS related activity is growing quickly – that is typically around sequestering the CO2 for sustainability purposes. In Africa, the merchant market is still very strong as population growth drives demand for CO2. The main difference is that in Africa we produce CO2 plants that are customised around customer demand for the molecule but in Europe the plant is designed to avoid as much CO2 as possible.”
Interview with Ralph Spring, Managing Director
ENGINEERING DEPTH
Capturing carbon dioxide from industrial emissions is far from straightforward. Flue gases contain varying mixtures of compounds and impurities meaning each capture facility must be designed around the chemistry of the source gas. ASCO therefore works with multiple technology partners selecting absorption purification and liquefaction solutions that match the characteristics of the stream before integrating into a complete plant engineered for reliability and long operating cycles.
That process begins with identifying emissions sources that operate consistently. “Theoretically, you can capture CO2 from any source, but we are looking for stable processes,” says Spring. “A backup system that runs once a year for 30 minutes makes no sense – we need stable processes with a steady flow of emissions. We have different technology providers, and we have to look at the stack gas and the ingredients in the flue gas to choose which supplier is best.”
Once a viable stream is confirmed the engineering work intensifies. Towers, compressors, drying systems, and liquefaction units must be integrated into a tightly controlled process chain capable of handling a molecule that behaves unpredictably under pressure and temperature changes. The challenge is not simply capturing carbon dioxide but stabilising purifying and compressing it safely before either reuse transport or storage.
Spring describes the complexity of the process. “CO2 is not an easy molecule to work with – you are under pressure, the temperature is low, and it is an energy intensive process. You have to work with the best suppliers in the field to ensure quality – they must be proven and there are not a lot of these types of companies in the market. The product we deliver is Capex intensive and has to be reliable for 15-20 years. We create long-term relationships with suppliers to ensure we fulfil those vital quality standards. It’s about building shared culture so that the customer gets exactly what is required on site.”
INDUSTRIAL CO2
Recent collaborations illustrate how that engineering discipline translates into real infrastructure. In Switzerland for example ASCO partnered with Hitachi to deploy a carbon capture solution at a biogas facility where recovered CO2 is purified and liquefied for commercial use. Similar systems are increasingly being integrated into waste treatment plants bioenergy installations and flexible power projects where capturing emissions can transform environmental liabilities into valuable industrial resources.
The company’s technology can also be applied directly to stack gases from energy generation facilities.
“We like to get involved across all aspects of a project,” says Spring. “We can deliver the engineering and the equipment, but we are also able to create offtake agreements for CO2. This is not something we do everywhere, but where we do have a network, we try to create opportunities so that we can continue to provide the plant and the ensure people know what to do with CO2.”
One example sits in Nottinghamshire, UK, where Landmark Power Holdings has developed a flexible power generation project designed to integrate carbon capture directly into the plant’s operating model. By incorporating CO2 recovery technology from ASCO into the facility, the project demonstrates how decentralised energy generation can operate alongside responsible carbon management ensuring emissions are captured, purified, and directed back into industrial use rather than released into the atmosphere.
GLOBAL REACH
After delivering hundreds of installations across Europe and beyond the company is now positioning itself for a new phase of expansion. Demand for carbon capture is accelerating as industries face tightening climate regulations and investors scrutinise emissions strategies more closely while rapidly growing economies are simultaneously seeking reliable supplies of industrial gases.
Momentum around carbon capture is no longer limited to a handful of early adopter markets. As industrial decarbonisation accelerates, the need for proven capture infrastructure is appearing across regions with very different economic and energy realities. For ASCO that global momentum is opening doors in markets where demand for CO2 technology is expanding rapidly alongside industrial growth.
Spring says the company is now sharpening its focus on regions where both industrial expansion and emissions reduction strategies are converging.
“We are trying to have a bigger footprint in Africa because we see huge potential. Last year, we celebrated our 50th anniversary and we have almost always had an Africa presence. We see the same in the Middle East. While it is already a core area for us, we see it as one where we can increase our footprint and be more present. We are also very interested in Asia and ASEAN nations where there is strong and consistent economic growth.”
Across many of these regions the dynamics around carbon dioxide differ from those in Europe. While decarbonisation targets are increasingly shaping investment decisions, there is also strong demand for industrial CO2 as a product in its own right, particularly in food processing beverage production and refrigeration supply chains. This dual dynamic means capture technology can simultaneously address emissions management and industrial supply needs, creating new commercial opportunities around the molecule.
North America is also firmly in ASCO’s sights as the next chapter in its global expansion strategy. While the company already has a presence in the US through its dry ice equipment business, the plan now is to extend that footprint into carbon capture infrastructure as the American energy sector intensifies its decarbonisation efforts.
“We want to get into the USA this year,” Spring confirms. “There is a different technical requirement there, but the process of growth is largely the same as elsewhere.”
As the geographic reach of the business expands so too does the technological ecosystem that surrounds it. Carbon capture engineering is increasingly being paired with digital platforms capable of monitoring plant performance supporting remote diagnostics and optimising operations across distributed installations. For companies managing large fleets of industrial systems this layer of digital capability is becoming essential to maintaining efficiency and reliability over long operational lifecycles.
“Throughout our history, we have provided around 320 CO2 plants. We see growth in digitisation because the process itself is now well-known albeit complex. We are looking more at ERP systems, remote support, and other digital tools,” details Spring.
That growing digital backbone is emerging at the same time as a broader shift in how industries view carbon dioxide itself. Only a few years ago many companies were primarily concerned with securing a supply of the gas for industrial processes. Today the conversation is evolving rapidly as sustainability targets reshape the economics of emissions.
“We are feeling stronger drive around decarbonisation strategies which was less important for clients up until around five years ago. Previously, industry just wanted the molecule but now the sustainability element of the whole decarbonisation drive is an active target,” Spring details. “The value chain is much more complicated when you look at what can be done with the CO2. An advantage we have is being part of the Messer Group as other parts of the group can help to deliver across that ecosystem.”
That ecosystem spans far beyond carbon capture equipment alone. While CO2 technology remains the company’s core focus the underlying expertise around gases and industrial processes has opened pathways into adjacent markets including water treatment and environmental management.
“Although CO2 is our market, we are not only focused on that. We have trading products including dosing systems which support the water industry. CO2 is a very interesting molecule and can be used in many applications,” Spring highlights.
BY DEFINITION: POSSIBLE
As energy systems evolve and climate commitments tighten the industrial relevance of that molecule is only increasing. Carbon capture once sat largely on the margins of the energy transition, often discussed as a future possibility rather than a present-day solution. Today, the technology is moving steadily into the mainstream as governments and companies search for practical ways to cut emissions without disrupting industrial output.
“The technology is now ready and decarbonisation is very possible. We could decarbonise the whole energy sector across Europe – it is by definition possible; the only question is cost. If society and markets are ready, we can tackle that problem.”
ASCO sits at an interesting intersection of industrial gas expertise and climate technology. Its systems are not experimental concepts but mature engineering platforms already operating across fermentation plants, bioenergy facilities, chemical complexes, and energy infrastructure. As carbon management moves from policy ambition to operational necessity, companies capable of designing building and maintaining reliable capture infrastructure will play an increasingly central role in the transition. With expansion under way across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and North America, ASCO is positioning its decades of experience to support the next generation of projects.