Displaying items by tag: decarbonisation

Japan: Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corporation (MUCC) has developed a carbon-negative artificial sand product called ‘GX-e Beads.’ It is made from by-products containing calcium and uses a proprietary accelerated carbonation technology developed by MUCC to absorb CO₂ at 80 - 250kg/t from flue gas and other sources. A further granulation and solidification stage is then used to manufacture the final artificial fine aggregates, making it net-carbon negative. The artificial sand can be produced via a dry process at ambient temperature conditions. It requires no special reaction equipment.

The product can be used as a fine aggregate to make normal-strength concrete. MUCC says “…when used in conjunction with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) or blended cement, fresh properties and strength development equivalent to or better than that of normal concrete can be obtained. Therefore, it can be widely applied to ready-mix concrete and secondary concrete products.”

Japan/Australia: Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corporation (MUCC) has invested US$5m in cleantech firm MCi Carbon, becoming the fourth major Japanese investor alongside ITOCHU Corporation, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.

The partnership includes a collaboration agreement focusing on mineral carbonation technology and a three-way memorandum of understanding with ITOCHU Corporation.

MUCC will utilise MCi's technology to decarbonise cement production in Japan through CO₂ emissions abatement and development of low-carbon materials.

The investment supports the commissioning of MCi's 'Myrtle' mineral carbonation demonstration plant in Australia.

US: Carbon capture firm Nuada and lime producer MLC (formerly Mississippi Lime Company) have signed a memorandum of understanding to demonstrate net-zero lime production at MLC's Ste. Genevieve plant in Missouri. The partners aim to contribute to a reduction of the facility’s CO₂ emissions by 95%.

Nuada’s technology uses metal-organic frameworks as a solid sorbent alongside vacuum swing pressure adsorption, which utilises pressure rather than heat to separate CO₂ from flue gases.

Co-CEO Jose Casaban said "Our breakthrough in carbon capture technology sets a new standard for energy efficiency, paving the way for transformative decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors like lime manufacturing. Through this collaboration with MLC, we are driving the next generation of carbon capture forward, setting a new standard for emissions reduction and sustainability in the lime industry."

Spain: Holcim, Enagás and gas supplier Saggas have announced the ‘CO2necta’ project, a joint decarbonisation initiative that will capture, transmit and store over 0.56Mt/yr of CO₂. The project will involve the construction of a CO₂ capture plant at Holcim's Sagunto plant in Valencia. Captured CO₂ will be transported through Enagás infrastructure to the Saggas terminal in the Port of Sagunto, where it will be liquefied and then shipped for geological storage.

UK: Cemvision has launched one of the UK’s first commercial applications of its low-carbon Re-ment cement technology at a STOREX self storage development in Sunbury, near London. The foundational slabs for the site employ Cemvision's Re-ment Massive product, which replaces traditional Portland cement. Recent laboratory tests have shown that the product achieves a 75% CO₂ reduction and a 28-day compressive strength, that reaches the C50/60 classification, compared to traditional Portland cement. STOREX and Cemvision have signed a Letter of Intent for further collaboration in the UK and other markets.

“This project is a landmark achievement for Cemvision as we bring the benefits of green cement to UK customers,” said Oscar Hållén, CEO of Cemvision.

Cemvision says that its Re-Ment Massive technology reaches different levels of CO₂ reduction depending on application and local conditions, with the product already having achieved more than a 95% reduction compared to Portland cement in demo production in the EU, according to the company.

Portugal: CBMI has signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract with SECIL Cement Group for the renovation of the 1800t/day clinker line at the Maceira plant.

The project includes the installation of a new firing system and a series of upgrades to improve energy and heat efficiency. The upgrade encompasses five decarbonisation measures, including a 100% alternative fuel design rate, with the aim to decrease CO₂ emissions by 30% compared to 2019 levels. This would reportedly reduce CO₂ emissions to 550kg/t of clinker.

US: The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management has selected Cemex's Knoxville cement plant in Tennessee as the site for a carbon capture, removal and conversion test centre. The project is part of a US$101m initiative shared among five projects that aim to decarbonise cement plants and power facilities.

Cemex, in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and a coalition of US cement producers, will develop the conceptual design, business, technical and managerial frameworks for the test centre under Phase 1. Phase 2 will involve constructing and operating the centre to evaluate advanced carbon management systems.

Jaime Muguiro, president of Cemex US, said “While we are making steady progress, the cement industry has the opportunity to accelerate the pace of our decarbonisation even more. I am 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 is committed to advancing decarbonisation solutions.”

Europe: Capsol Technologies has been awarded an engineering services agreement for a pre-FEED (front-end engineering design) study on its CapsolEoP carbon capture technology at a cement plant in Europe, aiming to capture 600,000t/yr of CO₂.

Johan Jungholm, chief of business development at Capsol Technologies, said "We are building on our commercial traction within cement, where Capsol has emerged as a preferred carbon capture technology provider. CapsolEoP can operate with up to 50% lower energy use than traditional post-combustion technologies such as amines. This, together with reduced complexity, has the potential of reducing levelised capture costs by 20-60% for cement plant owners looking to decarbonise their operations.”

Austria: RHI Magnesita and MCi Carbon, supported by €3.8m in funding under the Australia-Austria Industrial Decarbonisation Demonstration Partnership Program, are moving forward with plans to establish the world’s first carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) plant in the refractory industry at Hochfilzen, Tyrol.

The funding, provided by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund and the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, will support the CCUPScale project. This includes raw material analysis, pre-demonstration trials, low-carbon product development, process engineering and industrial integration.

The plant is expected to begin operations at RHI Magnesita’s facility in 2028 and aims to capture, convert and utilise 50,000t/yr of CO₂ to produce ‘CO₂-negative’ mineral products. The initiative uses MCi Carbon's mineral carbonation technology to reduce Scope 1 emissions and transform CO₂ into value-added materials.

Constantin Beelitz, regional president Europe, CIS & Türkiye at RHI Magnesita, said "This funding approval shows that we are on the right track with this project. For industries with unavoidable emissions like ours, CO₂ capture is currently the only viable path to achieve net-zero by 2050. However, we go one step further by not only capturing CO₂, but also converting it into products that provide solutions for us and other hard-to-decarbonise sectors, such as the cement industry."

US: The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management has announced US$101m in funding for five projects to establish carbon capture, removal, and conversion test centres for cement plants and power facilities. The test centres aim to cost-effectively research and evaluate technologies to capture and convert CO₂ into products from utility and industrial sources, or by removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. The initiative aims to reduce CO₂ emissions, promote sustainable technologies and create job opportunities.

Notable projects include the University of Illinois in Urbana, which plans to design a test centre to evaluate carbon management technologies for the cement industry, and Holcim US, which intends to establish a Cement Carbon Management Innovation Centre at its Hagerstown facility in Maryland.

Brad Crabtree, assistant secretary for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, said “Carbon management technologies such as carbon capture can significantly reduce emissions from fossil energy use and key industrial processes, like cement production. By investing in test centres, we are helping reduce barriers to commercial-scale deployment of carbon capture, conversion and removal technologies that will ultimately help reduce pollution and create jobs.”