By Cordelia Hsu and Helen Clark
NEWCASTLE/PERTH, June 18 (Reuters) – Australia’s first carbon refinery opened in New South Wales, capturing carbon dioxide from explosives giant Orica’s ammonia-making operations on Kooragang Island and turning it into products such as concrete, paper and glass.
MCI Carbon has been developing the Myrtle Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage technology for 15 years and the demonstration plant can potentially capture 2,500 metric tons of CO2 a year.
“MCI Carbon’s technology is based on what’s called mineral carbonation. This is the Earth’s own natural process for taking CO2 out of the atmosphere and putting it into rock,” CEO and co-founder Marcus Dawe said at Wednesday’s event.
The opening function was attended by Chris Bowen, Australia’s energy and climate change minister, along with the ambassadors of Japan and Austria.
Australia’s total CO2 emissions are around 400 million tons a year. Last year Bowen updated its emissions reduction target to 62% to 70% from 2005 levels by 2035.
Unlike carbon capture and storage technology, which moves CO2 into underground caverns, CCUS produces a ‘carbon-embodied’ product.
“This will help (emitters) decarbonise, while also making a profit,” Bowen said.
MCI is also working on plans for a factory-scale carbon refinery in Austria to capture up to 50,000 tons of CO2 a year. Its technology is one of several mineral carbonation technologies being developed.
Another, from Canada’s Arca, uses mining waste or ‘tailings’ to trap carbon permanently.
(Reporting by Helen Clark; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
