Aena

Overview

Hovyu was selected by Aena — the world's largest airport operator by passenger traffic — through its Aena Ventures 2023 open-innovation programme, winning the "Greener Airport" challenge from a field of more than 500 international proposals. In the first proof-of-concept, Hovyu installed a CO₂-capture unit on a boiler in Terminal 1 of Barcelona Airport, capturing CO₂ from natural-gas combustion. The pilot delivered more than 98% CO₂ recovery and validated solvent stability under real operating conditions, taking the technology to TRL 6.

Building on that success, Hovyu is now delivering a full CO₂-capture plant on the Terminal 1 natural-gas boilers, directly supporting Aena's commitment to Net Zero Carbon by 2030.

Key figures (design basis)

• Design capture rate: 98% of the CO₂ in the boiler flue gas.
• Feed: on the order of ~2,000 Nm³/h of boiler flue gas (~260 kg/h of CO₂).
• Captured CO₂: on the order of ~2,200 tonnes of CO₂ per year.
• Compact plant: roughly 20 × 5 m and up to ~15 m tall, fitted into the airport environment with a modest electrical connection (~200–250 kW).
• Delivery: engineering → construction → commissioning, within a contract of up to 24 months.

Hovyu's activities

Conceptual design and basic engineering; plant design and optimization for the airport's real operating conditions; construction and commissioning; integration with the existing boiler-room infrastructure; and support through the airport's permitting requirements.