LafargeHolcim participating in CCUS study
Study targets feasibility of capturing CO2 from US Portland cement plant for storage by Occidental
OXY Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV), a wholly owned subsidiary of Occidental, Svante Inc, LafargeHolcim and Total have announced a joint study to assess the viability and design of a commercial-scale carbon-capture facility at the Holcim Portland cement plant in Florence, Colorado, in the US.
The study will evaluate the cost of the facility designed to capture up to 725,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year directly from the LafargeHolcim cement plant, which would be sequestered underground permanently by Occidental.
‘OLCV are dedicated to advancing low-carbon solutions that will enhance Occidental’s business while reducing emissions,’ said OLCV president Richard Jackson. ‘Participating in this study aligns with our goals of finding an economical pathway toward large-scale application of carbon-capture technologies to reduce emissions.’
The carbon-capture facility under review will employ Svante’s technology to capture carbon directly from industrial sources at half the capital cost of existing solutions. Occidental, an industry leader in CO2 management and storage, would then sequester the captured CO2.
Pairing carbon capture from a cement plant with CO2 sequestration represents a significant step forward for the cement industry in reducing its carbon footprint.
‘Being at the forefront of the low-carbon transition requires continuous innovation and partnerships,’ said LafargeHolcim’s chief executive officer, Jan Jenisch. ‘We have significantly invested in the development of low-carbon solutions. Collaborating with Svante, OLCV and Total, we expect to realize a successful US carbon-capture project in the near future.’
Claude Letourneau, president and chief executive officer of Svante Inc., said: ‘Svante’s capital-cost advantage, combined with progressive tax credit policies such as the 45Q tax credit in the US, can make carbon capture profitable across a range of large-scale industrial applications such as cement.’
‘Total have slated 10% of their annual R&D budget to make significant advances in carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), a key technology to curb worldwide CO2 emissions,’ added Marie-Noëlle Semeria, senior vice-president of Group CTO at Total.
‘Our investment in this joint study is directly aligned with our strategy. The learnings from this study will help us pursue our commitment to the commercial development of CCUS.’
This joint initiative follows the recently launched Project CO2MENT between Svante, LafargeHolcim and Total in Canada at the Lafarge Richmond cement plant, where progress has been made towards re-injecting captured CO2 into concrete.
