US DOE selects Cemex USA to develop carbon capture

US DOE selects Cemex USA to develop carbon capture
19 October 2009


Cemex Mexico’s largest cement and ready-mix company, announced that the US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected it to develop technology for capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions at one of Cemex ’s US cement plants.

Cemex will work with RTI International and others to design a dry sorbent CO2 capture and compression system, a pipeline (if necessary), and an injection station. This commercial-scale Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) demonstration project may remove up to 1Mt of CO2 annually.

"Our commitment to sustainability is not just a goal, but one of our biggest responsibilities. Through this project, Cemex is pioneering a new frontier, working to develop cutting-edge technology that could offer a CO2 reduction option for not only Cemex  plants, but for the US cement industry. This project could also lead to the creation of green jobs in America," said Gilberto Perez, President of Cemex  USA.

Only 12 CCS projects from industrial sources, including cement plants, chemical plants, paper mills, refineries, and manufacturing facilities across the United States were selected for the first phase of DOE funding. Cemex USA is the only cement company in America to receive funding for a large-scale industrial CCS project.

The CCS projects are a cost-shared collaboration between the government and private industry to increase investment in clean industrial technologies and sequestration projects. The DOE will provide US$1.14m and Cemex USA will provide 20 per cent of the funding for Phase I of its project.

Cemex’s sustainability commitment includes constantly looking at ways to minimize its energy use and reduce its carbon footprint. In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the DOE selected Cemex USA as the 2009 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for its outstanding energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In 2008 alone, Cemex decreased its total energy use equal to reducing 115,000t of CO2 emissions. This is equivalent to providing electricity to at least 1,500 American homes for a decade or avoiding about 21,000 passenger vehicles’ CO2 emissions for a year.
Published under Cement News