US ag company A-D-M tests CCS

US food processer Archer-Daniels-Midland (A-D-M) said May 19 it completed a project meant to test carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology near its corn processing plant in Illinois.

Using funding from the US Department of Energy and working with the University of Illinois, A-D-M said it was exploring ways to capture and store more than 1mn metric tons of CO₂ in regional sandstone over a three-year period.

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The agricultural giant said the project supports its efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2035, based on a 2019 baseline.

“Deploying carbon capture and storage technology in our processing operations is one of the many ways we are reducing our environmental footprint,” A-D-M’s chief sustainability officer Alison Taylor said.

A-D-M said it was able to store the CO₂ from its Illinois plant more than 6,500 feet underground. A separate facility for the company is permitted through 2022 and can store as much as 5.5mn metric tons of CO₂

CCS technology is expanding across North America. A bipartisan bill drafted in March offers tax credits as a way to incentivise future development.

“Addressing climate change in a meaningful way requires carbon emission reductions across the board,” Dick Durin, a Democratic senator representing Illinois, said in reaction to the A-D-M developments.