UK/US: Climate technology company Origen has completed pre-front end engineering and design (pre-FEED) for its commercial-scale zero-emission lime production facility, with engineering conducted by Hatch. The study establishes a validated cost and performance baseline for a plant producing up to 315,000t/yr of zero-emission lime, reducing investment risk ahead of detailed design and construction planning. Hatch’s analysis indicates that costs are expected to decline further at larger scales. Origen’s oxyfuel kiln technology captures 100% of process CO2 emissions directly during production, generating a pure CO2 stream without the need for post-combustion capture systems. The company said that this enables zero-emission lime production without reliance on renewable electricity.
A lifecycle assessment conducted by Hatch as part of the study found that the process can reduce emissions intensity by around 90% compared to conventional lime production, which emits over 1t of CO₂ for every 1t of lime produced. Origen also plans to deploy the technology within industrial clusters to simplify integration with existing CO2 infrastructure and customers. With pre-FEED complete, Origen is now preparing to select from several sites under evaluation and advance into front end engineering and design (FEED) prior to detailed engineering and construction.
