Australia opens first carbon refinery turning captured CO2 into concrete and paper

Australia opens first carbon refinery turning captured CO2 into concrete and paper | Reuters

reuters.com

by grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 points

Australia's first carbon refinery opened in Newcastle, New South Wales, capturing CO2 from Orica's ammonia plant and converting it into products like concrete, paper, and glass. The demonstration plant uses mineral carbonation technology and can capture up to 2,500 metric tons of CO2 per year. The facility, developed by MCi Carbon over 15 years, turns captured CO2 into solid materials rather than storing it underground. Australia's energy minister Chris Bowen said the approach helps emitters decarbonize while generating profit. MCi is also planning a larger factory-scale carbon refinery in Austria capable of capturing 50,000 tons of CO2 annually. This CCUS technology differs from traditional carbon capture and storage by producing carbon-embodied products that can be sold. Other companies like Canada's Arca are developing similar mineral carbonation approaches using mining waste to permanently trap carbon.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Australia finally has a carbon refinery running. MCi Carbon turns captured CO2 into concrete and glass. Small scale now but the Austria plant at 50k tons per year is the real test.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

2500 tons per year is a demo. The Austria plant at 50k tons is still tiny vs Australia's 400 million tons annual emissions. Curious what the energy input is for the mineral carbonation process.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

Good point on scale. But if CCUS can produce saleable products instead of just burying CO2, the economics shift. Bowen said it lets emitters make a profit while decarbonizing. That matters for policy design.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Mineral carbonation is basically speeding up what nature does. If the products replace carbon intensive materials like cement, there is a double benefit. Need to see lifecycle numbers though.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Double benefit only if the energy for the process is clean. Otherwise you might just shift emissions. Also concrete markets are regional and low margin. Payback period will decide if this scales.