Cemex cement plant chosen for US DOE-funded CCUS project
Knoxville plant selected as host site for carbon capture, removal, and conversion test centre
CEMEX announced today [20 January] that the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has selected a project for funding to develop a pioneering carbon capture, removal, and conversion test centre at their cement plant in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The project, which will serve as a proving ground for innovative carbon capture technologies needed to accelerate deep decarbonization of the cement industry at scale, is one of five selected to share US$101 million to initiate and continue developing test centres for cement plants and power facilities.
In collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Cemex and a coalition of US cement producers will develop the conceptual design, business, technical, and managerial structures for the test centre.
This Phase 1 project includes the necessary designs and structures for the centre, whilst a competitive selection for Phase 2 will involve building and operating the carbon capture, removal, and conversion facilities, providing a platform to research and evaluate advanced systems for decarbonizing the cement industry, in an effort to will facilitate cost-effective and sustainable carbon management.
‘While we are making steady progress, the cement industry has the opportunity to accelerate even more the pace of our decarbonization,’ said Jaime Muguiro, president of Cemex US. ‘I’m excited that our Knoxville cement plant has been selected as the host site for the carbon capture test centre. Through collaboration and continuous innovation with the University of Illinois and industry peers, Cemex are committed to advancing decarbonization solutions.’
Kevin C O’Brien, director of the Net-Zero Center of Excellence, part of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, commented: ‘We are thrilled to combine our expertise in capturing emissions from cement plants with Cemex’s leadership in the net-zero space. This partnership aligns perfectly with the goals of our Net-Zero Center of Excellence and Cemex’s net-zero objectives.’
