California-based Calera Corp. is poised to design, build and operate a system that mineralises carbon dioxide from flue gas, yielding carbonate-bearing aggregate for construction fill or cement mill raw feed. The company garnered a nearly $20 million grant—drawn from DOE stimulus allocations—based on a small-scale CO2 absorption facility at Moss Landing, near its northern California headquarters.

A proposed material production system will be integrated with the absorption facility to demonstrate the process at what Energy officials note is significant scale. The Calera process is one of six CO2 emissions-capturing technologies for which the department has committed $106 million, matched by $156 million in private funds. System development cost-sharing is likely tied to a $15 million Calera equity stake coal giant Peabody Energy acquired earlier this year.
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