Taiwan Cement Corp, in conjunction with the Industrial Technology Research Institute, has completed construction of Asia’s first carbon capture plant employing calcium-looping process technology. Also the first of its kind to be integrated into the cement manufacturing process, the new facility symbolises the country’s efforts to tackle climate change and marks an important step forward to commercialising cutting-edge carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. By Kuang-Hsi Chen, Taiwan Cement Corporation & Heng-Wen Hsu, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the cement manufacturing process worldwide exceeded 1.5bnt in 2010, accounting for about five per cent of total global CO2 emissions. By 2050, this level is expected to rise to 9-10 per cent. In Taiwan alone, CO2 emissions were about 270Mt in 20101, of which the cement industry contributed around 14Mt. Therefore, to ensure the country plays its part in reducing global emissions, Taiwan has recently completed the construction of Asia’s first carbon capture plant employing calcium-looping process technology.
