Displaying items by tag: Project

Germany: Cool Planet Technologies and Hereon have signed a memorandum of understanding with Holcim Deutschland to deliver a carbon capture system for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) trial at the producer’s Höver cement plant in Lower Saxony. Cool Planet Technologies will install their system, which is based on Hereon’s PolyActive membrane technology. The system will have a capture capacity of 5600t/yr and operate from early 2022 to early-mid-2023. If successful, two subsequent expansions will increase the system’s capacity to 170,000t/yr, commencing operation in 2024, and 1.3Mt/yr, commencing in 2026.

The suppliers say that their membrane-based capture system is capable of reducing the energy intensity and eliminating the need for other chemical inputs in CCS.

US: The US Department of Energy has selected Central Plains Cement to receive US$5m-worth of funding to realise its plans for a cryogenic carbon capture (CCC) installation at its Sugar Creek, Missouri, cement plant. Contify Energy News has reported that the system will initially have a capacity of 30t/day of CO₂, with a view to eventually capturing 95% of the plant’s flue gas’ CO₂ content. The Eagle Materials subsidiary will receive US$5m in funding from the US Department of Energy for the project. The sum is part of a raft of a total US$45m-worth of grants to help towards decarbonising heavy industry and natural gas power. Chart Industries will carry out the work.

Chart Industries CEO and President Jill Evanko said that the company’s CCC model increases cement production costs by just 24%, compared to 38% - 130% for other types of system. She added “We are delighted that public and private entities recognise Chart as a leader in carbon capture technologies and products; we view this award as well as our third quarter 2021 commercial activity as meaningful steps and accelerators toward capturing - pun intended - a significant share of our anticipated US$6bn total addressable market for carbon and direct air capture in 2030.”

The St Louis Post newspaper has reported that Holcim US’s Ste-Genevieve, Missouri, cement plant is also among facilities chosen to receive funding for carbon capture and storage (CCS) installations.

Oman: Oman Cement Company will spend US$300m on the new 10,000t/day Line 4 as part of the upcoming upgrade and expansion of its Rusayl cement plant in Muscat governorate. The Oman Observer newspaper has reported that Switzerland-based PEG Resources will carry out the work. Oman Cement Company CEO Salem bin Abdullah al Hajri said that the new line will help Oman to achieve cement self-sufficiency by 2024.

The company said “The new 10,000t/day production line will be the largest in Oman and will have more cost-effective production, for the company to sustain its success and competitiveness in the local and international cement markets in a long run.” It added “The company will focus on utilising state-of-the-art production technology resulting in lower power consumption, potential for waste heat recovery (WHR), higher fuel efficiency, realisable use of alternative fuels (AF), improved productivity and the best environmental standards.”

Oman Cement Company is also expanding the Rusayl plant’s Line 3 by 25% to 5000t/day from 4000t/day, prior to decommissioning its other two lines.

Belgium: The low-emissions intensity lime and cement (LEILAC) consortium has published the results of its LEILAC-1 carbon capture and storage (CCS) study at HeidelbergCement’s Lixhe cement plant in Visé. The study found the cost of CCS to be Euro14 – 24/t of CO2 captured. It found that full-chain CO2 mitigation projects incur costs are Euro39 – 80/t, depending on transport and storage selections.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) credits currently cost Euro62/t.

Mozambique: West China Cement has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mozambique government for four upcoming ‘industrial investment and development’ projects including a cement plant worth a total of US$800m. Local press has reported that another of the projects will be the construction of a power plant.

President Zhang Jimin said Zhang thanked the government for its past support of subsidiary Dugong Cimentos. He added “Due to this support we have, we are confident to continue the implementation of the development projects in Mozambique, as the government shows its concern to improve the investment conditions and environment.”

India: Ambuja Cements has commenced commercial production at its new 3Mt/yr Marwar cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan. The plant has and an additional 2Mt/yr of grinding capacity. The Orissa Diary newspaper has reported that the producer invested US$316m in its construction. The Marwar cement plant increases Ambuja Cement’s installed capacity by 20% to 29.7Mt/yr.

Managing director Neeraj Akhoury said “Ambuja has ambitious growth plans to expand its capacities in India, and the Marwar plant is a step in that direction. We are very proud that it is a ‘green plant’ designed to meet our ambition for a sustainable future. The plant has deployed all modern equipment and technology to produce cement in a more environmentally friendly manner. It has a waste heat recovery (WHR) system that converts waste heat derived during the production process into energy.”

UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has announced the successful completion of a trial of cement production using a net-zero fuel mix consisting of hydrogen and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) at Hanson’s Ribblesdale, Lancashire, cement plant. The RDF in the mix consists of meat and bone meal (MBM) from the food industry and glycerol from biodiesel production.

Increased alternative fuel (AF) substitution is one of seven key levers in the MPA’s Roadmap Beyond Net Zero emissions reduction strategy. The association says that the fuel will eliminate 180,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions from the Ribblesdale plant’s operations when fully implemented. The project received Euro3.71m in government funding.

Hanson’s environmental sustainability manager Iain Walpole said “We are delighted to be involved with this world-leading project, which is a further example of our commitment to cutting CO₂ emissions.” He added “It will also contribute to our ambition of supplying net zero carbon concrete by 2050.”

Pakistan: The government of Punjab has granted no-objection certificates (NOCs) for 22 new cement plants. Pakistan Press International News has reported that 10 plants are currently under construction in the state.

Poland: Germany-based HeidelbergCement has partnered with Norway-based Sintef Energi install a pilot carbon capture and storage (CCS) system at its Górazdze cement plant. The company will deploy new enzyme-based CCS technology, which it says allows greater use of the waste heat and simplifies the control of secondary emissions. The project, known as Project ACCSess, has received Euro15m-worth of funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 industrial emissions reduction programme. 18 industry partners and research organisations will collaborate towards the deployment of the technology at the plant. The consortium will store captured CO₂ in storage fields in the Nordic countries. The project is due to conclude in April 2025. The total cost of the work is Euro18m.

HeidelbergCement chair Dominik von Achten said “The tests of an enzyme-based capture unit at our Górazdze plant in Poland will deliver important insights into how we can further reduce costs in the capture process.” He added “At the same time, it will emphasise our strategy to expand CCS further into our Eastern Europe-based assets.”

Denmark: Aalborg Portland Cement will begin construction of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) system at its Rørdal, North Jutland, cement plant. It will collaborate with Project Greensand CCS consortium partners to store the captured CO2 in drained oilfields below the North Sea. The company estimates that the Danish part of the North Sea has 16Gt of CO2 storage capacity, out of 300Gt under all EU waters. The endeavour aims to help Denmark to realise its targeted 70% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030.

Research and development director Jesper Sand-Damtoft said “The establishment of capture facilities, transformation from carbon to gas and transport to the North Sea all require great investments from a business such as ours, and the realisation of the climate potential thus depends greatly on financial support.”