Total & Co Eye US Concrete for CCS
A group of companies have set up a joint study into the viability and design of a commercial-scale carbon-capture facility in the US based on concrete manufacturing, partner Total said January.
The study will evaluate the cost of the facility at the Holcim Portland Cement Plant in Florence, Colorado, US. It will be designed to capture up to 725,000 metric tons/yr of CO2 directly from the plant, which would be sequestered underground permanently by Occidental, a major shale oil producer in the US and also a member of the team. It has a subsidiary, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV).
“OLCV is dedicated to advancing low-carbon solutions that will enhance Occidental's business while reducing emissions," OLCV president Richard Jackson said. “Participating in this study aligns with our goals of finding an economical pathway toward large-scale application of carbon-capture technologies to reduce emissions.”
The facility under review will employ Svante’s technology to capture carbon directly from industrial sources at half the capital cost of existing solutions. Pairing carbon capture from a cement plant with CO2 sequestration is a significant step forward for the cement industry in reducing its carbon footprint.
“Being at the forefront of the low-carbon transition requires continuous innovation and partnerships,” cement manufacturer LafargeHolcim CEO Jan Jenisch said. “LafargeHolcim has significantly invested in the development of low-carbon solutions. Collaborating with Svante, OLCV and Total, we expect to realize a successful US carbon -capture project in the near future.”
Total has devoted a tenth of its annual research and development budget to carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) technology and "our investment in this joint study is directly aligned with our strategy. The learnings from this study will help us pursue our commitment to the commercial development of CCUS,” said the French company, although the "U" element is missing from the statement, unless it is for enhanced oil recovery.
The joint initiative follows the recently-launched Project CO2MENT between Svante, LafargeHolcim and Total in Canada at the Lafarge Richmond cement plant, where progress has been made towards re-injecting captured CO2 into concrete.