The $1.5 million, announced through the DoE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, supports the initial engineering analysis and advancement of the LH CO2MENT Colorado Project.
The project, initially started early this year, is being deployed in partnership with Svante Inc., LafargeHolcim, Kiewit Engineering Group Inc., Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, LLC (OLCV), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Occidental, and Total.
The first phase of the project included a feasibility study ocompleted in June 2020 and confirmation of DOE’s initial funding.
The second phase will evaluate the feasibility of the facility designed to capture up to 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year directly from the Holcim cement plant and the natural gas-fired steam generator, which would be sequestered underground permanently by Occidental.
Electricore, Inc. will facilitate the management of the federal grant, and Kiewit Engineering Group Inc. will lead the engineering development.
The carbon-capture facility will employ Svante’s solid sorbent technology to capture carbon directly from the cement kiln as a non-intrusive “end-of-the-pipe’’ solution.
The project follows the recently-launched Pilot Plant 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.
Oxy Low Carbon Ventures president, Richard Jackson, said: “Oxy Low Carbon Ventures is leveraging Occidental’s 40 years of experience in securely storing CO2 in geologic formations to advance permanent sequestration as a solution that supports global emissions reduction efforts through carbon retirement.
“This partnership is a powerful example of how cross-industry collaboration can help progress carbon capture, utilization and storage projects that will be critical to accelerating the transition to a lower-carbon world.”
Marie-Noëlle Semeria, senior vice president, Group CTO at Total, adds: “Total brings its experience in this new phase of feasibility to support the development of Svante’s promising CO2 capture technology. Together with our industrial partners and thanks to the public-private initiative, we aim at accelerating the deployment, at scale, of innovative and cost-efficient technologies, contributing to decarbonise industry and curb CO2 emissions.”
