Buxton Net Zero project passes due diligence funding phase

Tarmac (CRH) and LEILAC have moved a step closer to delivering the world’s first zero emissions lime plant, with the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) announcing that the Buxton Lime Net Zero project has successfully passed the due diligence phase of the Industrial Carbon Capture (ICC) funding scheme.

LEILAC’s technology uses a unique indirect heating approach to keep unavoidable process emissions uncontaminated, thereby enabling its efficient capture as high purity CO₂ with no additional chemicals or processes required to separate gases from gases.

The proposed zero emissions plant would use the LEILAC technology to capture up to 20,000tpa of process CO₂ produced unavoidably during the manufacture of lime. The lime plant would use clean hydrogen to fuel the kiln, eliminating CO₂ emissions that would otherwise result from the use of traditional carbon-based fuels.

LEILAC CEO, Daniel Rennie, said: “LEILAC is delighted to be partnering with Tarmac to produce zero emissions lime. As an essential material across a range of industries, the decarbonisation of lime is an important enabling step towards low and zero carbon industry. 

Seamus Lynch, managing director of Cement, Lime and Packed Products at Tarmac said: “Achieving the UK’s legally binding net zero targets will require significant development of new infrastructure and ground-breaking technologies such as those proposed through this landmark project. It’s therefore hugely encouraging to have progressed to the next step towards this proposed plant becoming a reality.”

The project is part of the HyNet cluster, a leading UK industrial decarbonisation project, and forms part of the UK Government’s plans to accelerate decarbonisation ambitions and kickstart the hydrogen economy.