LafargeHolcim launches carbon capture project
in Canada

LafargeHolcim is increasing its efforts to further improve the carbon-efficiency of its cements with the launch of the CO₂MENT project in Canada. The objective is to build one of the world’s first full-cycle solutions to capture and reuse CO₂ from a cement plant while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The project is a partnership between Lafarge Canada, Inventys and Total.

Over the next four years, Project CO₂MENT will demonstrate and evaluate Inventys’ CO₂ Capture System and a selection of LafargeHolcim’s carbon utilization technologies at its Richmond, British Columbia, Canada cement plant. The project has three phases and is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2020. Subject to the pilot’s success, the vision is to scale up the project and explore how the facility can be replicated across other LafargeHolcim plants.

During the first phase the partners will work on purifying the cement flue gas in preparation for CO₂ capture. The second phase will focus on the separation of CO₂ from flue gas using a customized for cement version of Inventys’ carbon capture technology at pilot scale. As part of the final phase, the captured CO₂ will be prepared for reuse and support the economical assessment and demonstration of CO₂ conversion technologies onsite, such as CO₂ injected concrete and fly ash.

Apart from increasing its focus on new innovative breakthrough solutions such as the CO₂MENT project, LafargeHolcim is also further investing into measures to reduce the clinker-to-cement ratio and consume less energy per tonne of cement by using lower carbon fuels and improving the efficiency of the company’s processes. At its Richmond plant, the company recently launched a new and improved lower carbon fuel (LCF) system to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of cement. It will also help minimize landfill waste; specifically, non-recyclable plastics that are creating a backlog for municipalities across Canada.

The CAD 28 million system is expected to replace up to 50 % of fossil fuel use with lower carbon fuels and could result in a 20 % reduction of combustion emissions. It also allows Lafarge Canada to divert approximately 100000 t/a of waste from local landfills, the equivalent of about 8300 loaded garbage trucks.

//www.lafargeholcim.com" target="_blank" >www.lafargeholcim.com:www.lafargeholcim.com