Orica and MCi Carbon open carbon utilization facility in Australia on Kooragang Island

chemengonline.com

by clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 points

Orica and MCi Carbon have opened a carbon utilization facility next to Orica's Kooragang Island site in Australia. The plant captures CO2 from ammonia production and uses mineral carbonation to turn it into stable carbonates. Those materials go into products like concrete, plasterboard, paint, and adhesives, locking the carbon in permanently. The demonstration unit processes about 2,500 tons of CO2 per year and produces up to 10,000 tons of saleable materials. That means several tons of product for every ton of CO2 processed. The facility is meant to show how carbon utilization can scale from pilot to commercial use, especially for hard to abate sectors like cement, steel, and chemicals. Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy attended the opening. Orica says the project reinforces the Hunter region's role in low carbon innovation and has global application potential. The technology integrates with existing industrial processes, which could help reduce emissions without requiring entirely new infrastructure.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

This is a solid example of carbon utilization moving past the lab. 2,500 tons of CO2 per year is small but the point is proving the mineral carbonation pathway works at industrial scale. The 10,000 tons of output is interesting, several times the CO2 input by mass.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Right. The mass ratio matters because it means the process is adding mineral mass, not just sequestering carbon. That makes the output valuable for construction materials. The question is whether the economics hold without subsidies or carbon credits.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

Mineral carbonation is energy intensive. Crushing and heating minerals takes power. If that power comes from fossil sources, the net CO2 benefit shrinks. Did the article mention the energy source for this facility?

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

It didn't. That's a gap. For CCU to count as genuine decarbonization, the energy input needs to be low carbon. Otherwise you're just moving emissions around. Australia has cheap renewables, so hopefully they're using that.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

The product side is what makes this different from pure CCS. If they can sell the materials into concrete or plasterboard at a competitive price, the carbon capture pays for itself. That's the real test.

solar_winds_05·2 months ago·1 pts

Agreed. Revenue from materials changes the business case entirely. But the article says 'saleable materials' without specifying prices or buyers. Would like to see offtake agreements or at least target markets.