Lafarge Canada's Richmond plant completes phase II of Project CO2MENT

Lafarge Canada Inc (LafargeHoldim group), Svante Inc and Total SA have reached a major milestone of project CO₂MENT, a first of its kind partnership to capture industrial levels of CO₂ emissions from a cement plant. 

The multi-phase project celebrates the completion of phase II, construction to have the technology to capture and filter the CO₂ from the flue gas. This is a crucial component to achieve the next stage of capturing CO₂ flow at the Lafarge Richmond cement facility in British Columbia.

The completion of this phase allows the cement facility to capture the CO₂ contained in its cement flue gas and to reuse it for CO₂-cured concrete, therefore storing it permanently. Coupling this equipment with the alternative fuels used at the plant creates the world’s first full-cycle solution to capture and reuse CO₂ from a cement plant. 

Brad Kohl, president and CEO of Lafarge Western Canada, said: “To continue leading change in the building materials industry means we are always looking to partner with like-minded thought leaders such as Svante and Total. This partnership is showcasing our drive towards a net-zero future, and we are seeing this vision become a reality, right now with the completion of this phase,” added Mr Kohl.

Claude Letourneau, president and CEO of Svante, noted, “When we think about the fight against climate change, we know there has been work on energy efficiencies, renewables, but no major developments on capturing and cost-effectively using CO₂ emissions from industrial sources, until now. The last piece of this problem is essential because it is the part that allows us to transition to a carbon-neutral marketplace. Our partnership with Lafarge is building a new net-zero economy, and that is a very positive message we are sending to the world - it can be done.”

Phase III, scheduled for work over the next three years, will include the installation of a liquefaction unit and the development of an expansion project to further reduce emissions, as well as a business case review for further expansion across the Lafarge network. The technology and implementation of project CO₂MENT are transformative and have not been used in a cement plant before in the world.