Exxon to partner with carbon capture firm

Exxon Mobil Corp on Thursday said it would partner with Global Thermostat to try to bring carbon capture technology to industrial scale.

It is the latest low-carbon investment for Exxon, which has come under criticism for its climate policies. Exxon did not say what the project would cost.

New York-based Global Thermostat's technology uses chemicals called amines to capture and concentrate carbon dioxide from flue gas at industrial facilities or directly from the atmosphere.

The companies hope to take technology tested on a small scale and bring it to large industrial plants, said Vijay Swarup, vice president of research and development for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company.

One goal is to pilot the technology at an Exxon industrial site such as refining and chemical plants. "In many of those systems you have a CO2-containing gas," said Swarup.

Irving, Texas-based Exxon in May also said it would spend as much as $100 million over 10 years on research with two U.S. Department of Energy laboratories to bring lower-emissions technologies to commercial scale.