The Carbon Corner - Issue #12

Wondering what has happened in the CCUS space this week? Look no further, we have Carbon Corner Issue #12 ready for your reading!

This week we are going to cover new partnerships and some new projects!

Buckle up for this weeks edition of Carbon Corner.

Cemex USA to Advance Cement Carbon Capture Technology

Cemex USA and RTI International have jointly received a $3.7 million grant from the Department of Energy to fund carbon capture research associated with cement manufacturing. The FEED study will take place over the span of 18 months at the Cemex’ Balcones Cement Plant in New Braunfels, Texas.

The focus of the research will be a determination of costs for the integration of a 670,000 tonnes per year carbon dioxide capture system into the manufacturing process. The secondary goal will be to evaluate carbon capture and redirection of CO2 from cement flue gas to a tower for reaction with RTI’s NAS (non-aqueous solvent). This capture technology has a 95% CO2 capture efficiency and according to engineer Vijay Gupta, “lowers the parasitic energy penalty for CO2 capture 30-40% compared to earlier solvent technologies.”

Overall, this project has an estimated cost of $4.6 million and will work towards reducing the 8% of global carbon emissions that come from cement production.

GE's CCUS Solutions to Start in Asia

Remember last week when we mentioned Mitsui’s search for a carbon capture site in Asia? Well, they are not the only one’s on the hunt.

GE has started working with Korea’s DL E&C Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of CARBONCO, to collaborate on future carbon capture projects in the region. Their focus will be to find an existing plant to use as their first project.

President and CEO of GE Gas Power Asia Ramesh Singaram says, “In Asia, there is a significant installed base of over 1,300 GE gas turbines that is providing electricity for businesses and communities across the region. [The partnership] will pave the way for our customers to pursue the adoption of CCUS technologies” that could help address carbon emissions across Asia.“

This marks another important step forward in the push to decarbojixe gas turbine technology.

C02 Pipelines Facing More Local Challenges

In the past few issues, we have covered stories of pushback from civilians and local governments when it comes to carbon capture. With the technology growing, it is only natural for some issues to raise in the process.

Recently, a group of three companies announced plans to pursue an underground, 16-inch CO2 pipeline in Iowa between Cedar Rapids and Decatur. As a result of this, Linn County’s Board of Supervisors has released that they will be considering and voting next week on an ordinance that would regulate the build of the pipeline.

The ordinance proposes two standards involving the setback from public areas, like schools, hospitals, and parks. The first being that there must be a setback of 155.8 feet times the pipeline’s diameter. For this particular pipeline, that would be a little less than a mile. The second condition is that the setback be 107.65 feet times the diameter of the pipeline, plus another 328. This would increase the first distance proposed by 50 feet.

Pipelines carrying natural gas are typically state regulated, but those carrying “hazardous materials” are regulated by the federal government. Charlie Nichols, Linn County’s Planning and Development Director, said, “Since a carbon pipeline disaster in Mississippi two years ago, the federal code hasn’t been updated, so I want the county ordinance to offer an extra layer of protection.”

Protective ordinances mark yet another challenge for developers as movement of CO2 from source to sink becomes a larger concern.

Enbridge and Oxy Low Carbon Ventures Partner

A new partnership between Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OXY) and Enbridge Inc. has been announced. The two companies will work together to develop a carbon dioxide sequestration hub in Corpus Christi.

The intent is for Enbridge to develop, construct, and operate the pipeline facility. OXY will take on the job of developing, constructing, and operating the sequestration facilities. Together, they will market the pipeline transport and sequestration services to others in the Texas Gulf Coast area.

President and General Manager of OXY Jeff Alvarex said, “This collaboration will help accelerate the path to net zero not only for ourselves, but for other organizations who are exploring end-to-end solutions to capture, transport and permanently store CO2.”

Great Lakes Region: A Hot Spot for CO2 Storage

Recently, the University of Michigan’s Global CO2 Initiative put out a report titled, “Positioning the Great Lakes Region as a Leader in the Voluntary Carbon Offset Market.” This report details the finding of 52 gigatons of possible carbon storage spaces available by 2050 in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence region. That amount of stored carbon could generate $783 billion.

What makes the area so great is the abundance of forests and significant geological formations. The area is ideal for carbon management and offsets, as well as products that can use the wasted carbon as feedstock.

Executive Director of the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers David Naftzger said, “This report explains the scale of this opportunity for our region—equating to hundreds of billions of dollars. We look forward to using the findings of this report to benefit our region and our people.”

Numerous projects in the region are moving forward in the permitting process as Michigan seeks to lead the way in industrial decarbonization.

That all for this week’s edition! Thanks for joining us to catch up on the latest happenings in Carbon Capture & Sequestration.

Come visit us at https://schaperintl.com to find out more about partnering with us to advance your site development.

See you next week!

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