Lafarge Canada, Svante and Total S.A. are celebrating the completion of Phase II of Project CO₂MENT, a first-of-its-kind partnership to capture industrial levels of CO₂ emissions from a cement plant.
The completed phase consisted of construction and installation of the Svante capture unit at Lafarge Canada’s Richmond, B.C., cement plant. The plant is now able to capture the CO₂ contained in its flue gas and to reuse it for CO2-cured concrete, thus storing it permanently. Coupling this equipment with the alternative fuels used at the Richmond facility creates the world’s first full-cycle solution to capture and reuse CO₂ from a cement plant, noted Lafarge Canada. The carbon-efficient examples achieved at the plant are leading the way to a near-zero emissions cement facility.
“This has been a turbulent year for business and people due to the COVID-19 pandemic with many large-scale projects being put on hold, but the perseverance that the people working at the Richmond cement plant continue to show is evident in the success of Project CO2MENT,” stated Brad Kohl, president and CEO of Lafarge Western Canada. “To continue leading change in the building materials industry means we are always looking to partner with like-minded thought leaders such as Svante and Total. This partnership is showcasing our drive towards a net-zero future, and we are seeing this vision become a reality, right now with the completion of this phase,” added Kohl.
Claude Letourneau, president and CEO of Svante, noted, “When we think about the fight against climate change, we know there has been work on energy efficiencies, renewables, but no major developments on capturing and cost-effectively using CO₂ emissions from industrial sources, until now. The last piece of this problem is essential because it is the part that allows us to transition to a carbon-neutral marketplace. Our partnership with Lafarge is building a new net-zero economy, and that is a very positive message we are sending to the world – it can be done.”
Phase III of Project CO2MENT, scheduled for construction over the next three years, will include the installation of a liquefaction unit and the development of an expansion project to further reduce emissions, as well as a business case review for further expansion across the Lafarge network.
