Glass and cement firms rollout onsite CCS trials

Construction firm Hanson has had its cement works in Rutland selected to trial carbon capture technology, with similar trials to take place at Energy Works Hull and Glass Futures’ research facility in St Helens.


Glass and cement firms rollout onsite CCS trials

If successful, the Heidelberg Group will explore options to roll the technology out across its other sites.

Hanson’s Ketton cement works will be fitted with carbon capture technology from C-Capture, with support from the Government’s Net-Zero Innovation Portfolio. The technology will also be trialled at an EfW site in Hull –  owned by Bioenergy Infrastructure Group, the Glass Futures’ research facility in St Helens and at a site of one of their members – Pilkington UK in St Helens.

The sites will assess the performance of C-Capture’s technology, which uses a solvent to capture CO2. According to C-Capture, the process requires 40% less energy than most traditional CCS technologies, which will help reduce costs.

The technology will be retrofitted into existing cement kilns at the Hanson site, which is part of the Heidelberg Group. Once captured, the carbon can be compressed and sent for storage in geological reserves or reused in other industries.

Hanson’s chief executive Simon Wills said: “Carbon capture is a critical part of our strategy to decarbonise cement production and essential if we are to reach net-zero carbon by 2050.

“Our Padeswood cement works in north Wales is already part of the HyNet North West carbon capture and storage project and this new venture at our Ketton works is another example of our commitment to developing new technologies.”

If successful, the Heidelberg Group will explore options to roll the technology out across its other sites.

The cement industry produces approximately 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 in the UK each year, while the glass industry contributes around £2bn every year to the economy and emits more 2 million tonnes annually in the UK.

In 2020, ga roup of the world’s leading producers of cement issued a new industry commitment to deliver carbon-neutral concrete by 2050.

The joint industry ‘2050 Climate Ambition’ sees 40 global cement companies commit to delivering a carbon-neutral cement by 2050, aligning with the aspirations of the Paris climate accord. Companies included in the ambition are LafargeHolcim, Cemex, Dalmia Cement and Heidelberg.

More recently, businesses in the sector have launched the Concrete Action for Climate initiative (CAC). Set up by the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), the initiative will act as a collaborative effort to create a global market for carbon-neutral concrete by 2050.

Already, more than 40% of the industry globally has joined the initiative through GCCA membership. The Association and WEF are inviting others to join and help develop a net-zero roadmap and contributing to its launch during COP26 later this year.

Comments (1)

  1. David Dundas says:

    What is the chemistry of the CO2 capture and release, and what is the average capture efficiency? How much energy will it take to pump a ton of CO2 into the disused oil/gas wells?

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