Displaying items by tag: carbon capture

Switzerland: The decision of the Swiss government in June 2023 against the implementation of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has been strongly criticised by the Swiss cement association, Cemsuisse. The association warns of a potential relocation of the Swiss cement industry without such a mechanism, referencing a report by Polynomics. This report concludes that a Swiss CBAM is necessary to level the playing field with EU and non-EU cement suppliers. The EU initiated a CBAM test phase in October 2023, aiming to mitigate production relocation risks to countries with less stringent environmental regulations.

The federal government concluded that a CBAM in Switzerland would benefit few emission-intensive industries at the expense of the wider economy, while also facing regulatory and trade policy risks. It plans to reassess the need for a CBAM in mid-2026, in line with the EU's interim CBAM report.

Cemsuisse, referencing the Polynomics report, states that waiting to potentially introduce a CBAM in Switzerland is not an option. Investments in carbon capture and storage (CCS) are deemed essential for Switzerland's net-zero climate goal and without a CBAM, there is a risk of these investments being unviable due to uncertainty over cost recovery.

The report also points to the risk of increased clinker imports from third countries into the EU, which would be processed and then exported to Switzerland without CBAM levies. As an example, Cemsuisse mentions a planned milling station in Ottmarsheim, Alsace. It says that without a CBAM, the production site in Switzerland faces serious threats.

Cemsuisse said “Without CBAM, this certainty is lacking. And without CCUS, long-term production in Switzerland won't be viable. The population has accepted the climate protection law last summer, where the net-zero goal is legally anchored."

UK: Capsol Technologies has been selected to conduct a study on its carbon capture technology at Aggregate Industries Cauldon cement plant in Staffordshire. Owned by the Holcim Group, the company’s plant will undergo a feasibility study by Capsol Technologies for its CapsolEoP® carbon capture system. The potential for carbon capture at this plant is 600,000t/yr of CO₂. The CO₂ captured will be stored geologically through the nearby MNZ Cluster or HyNet North West.

CCO Johan Jungholm said “CapsolEoP® provides a cost-efficient carbon capture solution for cement, and our solution can be run on electricity alone without expensive heat integration or external steam supply. It offers flexibility in the optimisation of the designs, allowing for high capture rates, high reliability and low energy consumption."

The contract includes supplier input for the feasibility study, and further pre-FEED engineering if Capsol's technology is selected. The UK Government's Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) is funding the study, with Petrofac as Aggregate Industries engineer. This study is part of Peak Cluster's objective to reduce over 3Mt/yr of CO₂ from cement, lime, and refuse facilities by 2030. Capsol Technologies is focusing on the cement industry, which accounts for about 8% of global CO₂ emissions.

Italy: Scientists Gregory Chass and Kun Tian have developed a sustainable concrete from wet waste materials through their company Mesoscale Engineering Halcyon. This 'green concrete' concept was conceived in Garbatella and will first be tested on the district's pavements. The concrete, made by combining and recycling industrial CO₂ emissions with brine from saltworks, is part of the Clean Energy Transition Partnership. It is also central to the BUCK$$$ project, led by Kun, focusing on carbon capture and utilisation. This project, with €2.54m in funding, involves 13 partners from seven countries.

This innovative concrete arises from 'mineralised CO₂', which is similar to mollusc shells made of calcium carbonate, as well as materials derived from saltwork brine, desalination, and industrial wastewater. Both currently underused products are expected to become crucial in the cement and concrete industries, particularly in Italy.

Germany: According to a new study backed by the German Cement Works Association (VDZ), the country's cement and lime industries require carbon capture and storage (CCS) for decarbonisation. The study outlines the need for a 4800km CO₂ transport pipeline in Germany by 2035.

The VDZ warns that any delay could jeopardise Germany's 2045 climate neutrality target and estimates the investment for the new CO₂ grid at €14bn. The network is expected to transport 6.5Mt/yr of CO₂ by 2030, increasing to 46Mt by 2045. Additionally, CCS transit from Switzerland, Austria and France is expected to contribute 15 - 20Mt.

VDZ president Christian Knell said "Cement manufacturers and other industries in the EU emissions trading system must produce largely climate-neutrally by 2040."

France: Heidelberg Materials France plans to install a 1Mt/yr carbon capture system at its Airvault cement plant in the New Aquitaine. The Airvault cement plant is undergoing an upgrade, including the replacement of two pre-existing semi-dry lines with a new dry line and pre-calciner. This will reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions by 30% per tonne, reduce its energy consumption by 10% per tonne, reduce its clinker factor and raise its alternative fuel substitution rate to 90%. CO₂ capture is set to commence in 2030. The project is one of several, under the GOCO₂ carbon capture, storage and utilisation (CCUS) cluster, which also includes installations at Holcim France’s Saint-Pierre-La-Cour plant and Lhoist France’s Réty lime plant.

Chair Dominik von Achten said “We started an ambitious modernisation programme for our sites in France several years ago, with a planned investment of more than €400m. With the integration of AirvaultGOCO₂, we are now adding a cutting-edge project in the field of carbon capture to our previous efforts, which will enable a further, massive reduction of Heidelberg Materials’ carbon footprint in France.”

Chief sustainability officer Nicola Kimm added “Our approach in Airvault is a perfect example of Heidelberg Materials’ strategy to implement dedicated carbon reduction roadmaps. We are taking every possible step to reduce CO₂ emissions: Phasing out fossil fuels, reducing the clinker content of our cements, and improving energy efficiency. To mitigate the remaining residual emissions, we rely on CCUS – as part of an integrated scheme and with our strong partners in GOCO₂.”

Switzerland/Sweden: ABB and Sweden-based Salt X have agreed to develop Electric Arc Calcination (EAC) technology, with ABB also becoming a Salt X minority shareholder. This partnership aims to decarbonise cement production and similar industries by replacing fossil fuel-based heating with renewable energy and CO₂ capture during calcination. ABB will enhance the EAC with control and electrical systems, contributing to the technology's commercialisation.

Salt X CEO Carl-Johan Linér said "This strengthens us as a company and enables us to progress with our growth plans. With ABB and our other partners, we can significantly improve our capability to take a leading role in the electrification wave sweeping through the industrial sector.”

ABB's Global Growth Industries Business Line Manager Michael Marti said, "Our collaboration with Salt X marks a significant milestone in this journey. The technology benefits are two-fold; replacing the use of fossil fuels through renewable electricity in the calcination process and enabling cost efficient capture of the carbon emissions at the same time. It will be a highly effective way of curbing lime production emissions.”

Denmark: A collaborative effort involving the Technological Institute, DTU, FLSmidth Cement, and Lhoist is underway in Denmark to test a new technology designed to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions in the cement industry. The initiative, known as the Newcement project, is part of the INNO-CCUS partnership which embraces projects focusing on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and is supported by an investment of US$1.12m from the Innovation Fund. Jens Christiansen, Section Manager at the Technological Institute and Project Manager of the collaboration, aims for the technology to move from laboratory tests to a full-scale demonstration in a real cement production plant.

Germany: Australia-based Calix confirmed that its LEILAC-2 project will take place at Heidelberg Materials’ cement plant in Ennigerloh, Germany. This follows Heidelberg Materials' decision to cease clinker production at its Hanover cement plant. The project, which aims to capture CO₂ emissions from cement production, already has a system design ready for construction at Ennigerloh.

LEILAC CEO Daniel Rennie said "The LEILAC technology represents a scalable and economical solution to address the carbon dioxide emissions produced unavoidably by the cement and lime industries, and the rapid demonstration of such solutions is essential to achieving our industrial decarbonisation goals."

Belgium: Heidelberg Materials Benelux will invest €450m in its Anthemis project, involving the installation of an 800,000t/yr carbon capture system, at its Antoing cement plant. The project is scheduled for completion in 2029. Captured CO₂ will travel by pipeline to the North Sea for storage.

Germany: The German government published its new carbon management strategy and draft carbon storage law (KSpG) on 26 February 2024. The KSpG revises understandings of carbon neutrality to include CO₂ savings made through carbon capture and storage (CCS). The government says that the legislation primarily aims to support hard-to-abate sectors like cement, while coal-fired power plants will be barred from future CO₂ pipeline access. Heidelberg Materials CEO Dominik von Achten was alongside politicians at the strategy launch. The producer’s Brevik cement plant in Norway is set to become carbon neutral through the capture and storage of 400,000t/yr of CO₂.

German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck said "Achieving our climate targets without CCS is impossible."