Cemex Ventures to work with Carbon Clean on affordable carbon capture
Cemex Ventures (Cemex group) has signed an agreement with Carbon Clean, a leader in low-cost modular carbon dioxide capture and separation technology, aimed at developing a carbon capture solution for the cement industry that lies below the line of US$30/t cost of CO2 captured.
The ambitious target of making carbon capture technology accessible and more efficient would be an unprecedented achievement for the cement sector, opening a door of opportunities for further developments, claims Cemex.
As part of the agreement, both companies will further develop and adapt Carbon Clean's third-generation modularised carbon capture technology for the cement industry. Carbon Clean uses an integrated modular system that works using rotating packed beds (RPBs) to intensify the carbon capture process. This technology could provide a significant reduction in both capital cost and equipment size, when compared to traditional capture technologies, enabling the wider-scale commercial deployment of carbon capture systems, claims Cemex.
The technology will be tested for the first time in the cement industry at a Cemex facility by deploying an industrial-scale pilot during the first quarter of 2021. Cemex and Carbon Clean will jointly work towards making the solution even more efficient before the construction of what would be the most cost-effective commercial installation for carbon capture in the cement industry to date. With the capacity to capture up to 100,000t of CO2 per year at a cost lower than US$30/t of CO2 captured, this is a very relevant step in developing the technology required for adoption by the entire cement sector at a worldwide scale.
"Accomplishing CO2 capture at an industrial scale and affordable cost is one of the biggest challenges that Cemex is facing in its road to deliver net-zero CO2 concrete products globally by 2050. Partnering with Carbon Clean seemed like a perfect fit for us. We believe in their technology and know that working together, we can make possible a more cost-effective carbon capture solution below the US$30/t threshold," said Gonzalo Galindo, Head of CemexVentures.
