Cemex Inc announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected it to develop technology for capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions at one of Cemexs’ US cement plants.

Cemex will work with RTI International and others to design a dry sorbent CO2 capture and compression system, a pipeline (if necessary), and an injection station. This commercial-scale Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) demonstration project may remove up to 1Mt of CO2 annually.

"Our commitment to sustainability is not just a goal, but one of our biggest responsibilities. Through this project, Cemex is pioneering a new frontier, working to develop cutting-edge technology that could offer a CO2 reduction option for not only Cemex plants, but for the U.S. cement industry. This project could also lead to the creation of green jobs in America,” said Gilberto Perez, President of Cemex USA.

Only 12 CCS projects from industrial sources, including cement plants, chemical plants, paper mills, refineries, and manufacturing facilities across the United States were selected for the first phase of DOE funding. Cemex USA is the only cement company in America to receive funding for a large-scale industrial CCS project.

The CCS projects are a cost-shared collaboration between the government and private industry to increase investment in clean industrial technologies and sequestration projects. The DOE will provide US$1.14m and Cemex USA will provide 20 per cent of the funding for Phase I of its project.