Next Stop - Net Zero! LNER Invests In Carbon Capture With Microalgae Following Successful Pilot

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is taking an important step towards its decarbonisation commitments as it scales up a pilot project with science and technology startup Algacraft.

The initial trial of the project was created to test the feasibility of using microalgae bioreactors to capture carbon around stations, given the plant can be up to 400 times more efficient at capturing carbon dioxide than trees – by area and density.

Adopting Algacraft’s novel method for capturing carbon, the purpose of the pilot was to prove that microalgae can be successfully grown outdoors in the UK climate without the need for temperature control, and crucially, the system was able to capture carbon on a small scale. Both objectives were clearly demonstrated over the course of the five-month trial period.

Building on these learnings, LNER and Algacraft will now embark on a second phase of testing. The decarbonisation project takes place at Berwick-upon-Tweed station and makes use of the disused land adjacent to the railway. This next phase will test whether the bioreactors developed during the pilot can be scaled up to capture carbon more efficiently. Each bioreactor occupies approximately the same amount of land as two parking spaces, which makes the railway adjacent space an ideal option for potential deployment in densely populated areas and stations.

The Algacraft pilot was selected as part of LNER’s flagship accelerator programme, FutureLabs. The programme is designed to bring new innovative concepts to the rail industry to address key challenges – one of which is centered around building a more sustainable railway.

Danny Gonzalez, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at LNER, said: “The LNER FutureLabs programme has brought forward brilliant innovations and this project with Algacraft is no exception. We strongly believe that technology holds the key to discovering novel ways to reduce our impact on the planet, and the early success of this first trial phase shows real promise.

“One of the key pillars of LNER’s wider innovation strategy is to take on and trial new projects in the early stages, driving them forward and quickly strengthening our knowledge of how it can operate within a rail industry setting. Given we have reached this first milestone, we look forward to developing our research further with Algacraft and sharing our learnings more widely with the rail sector and beyond.”

This research project is a significant success in LNER’s long-term sustainability plan. Its commitments include having at least two carbon neutral stations by 2025, and to be completely net zero by 2045. In 2024, LNER will work with Algacraft to optimise the system and demonstrate that on-site microalgae production can capture more CO₂ in a given area than any other plant-based solution currently on the market.