Insights and Commentaries
China begins operations at the world’s largest oxy-fuel combustion CCUS project in cement sector
15th July 2024
Topic(s): China, CO2 storage
China is the global leader in the cement market, accounting for over half of global production in 2022. This dominant position, however, comes with a substantial environmental cost. The cement industry is responsible for 13 percent of the country’s total carbon emissions, with emissions reaching 1.3 billion tonnes in 2020, making it the third-largest emitting sector after power and steel. Given China’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality before 2060, significant decarbonisation efforts in the cement industry are essential.
The Chinese government has recognised the vital role of the cement sector in achieving the nation’s carbon neutrality target and acknowledged that carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) should be part of the solution. On November 2, 2022, the “Action Plan for Carbon Peaking in the Building Materials Industry,” jointly released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, called for accelerating CCUS R&D in the sector. On May 27, 2024, the China National Development and Reform Commission issued a “Special Action Plan for Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction in the Cement Industry.” This plan sets specific targets through the end of 2025 and provides directional goals for 2030.
Chinese cement companies recognise the decarbonisation potential of CCUS for their sector and have taken steps to demonstrate its applicability and technical feasibility. In 2018, Anhui Conch, one of China’s largest cement producers, commenced full operation of the country’s first integrated cement CCUS project, with a capacity of 50 ktpa. This project uses an amine-based approach to capture CO2 from the cement kiln at its Baimashan cement plant.
This year, the Chinese cement industry reached another milestone. On January 9, 2024, China United Cement Company, a part of China National Building Material Group, successfully commissioned an oxy-fuel combustion cement project in Qingzhou, Shandong Province, capturing 200,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. This project is the largest in the global cement industry using oxy-fuel combustion coupled with carbon capture, marking the first industrial application of this technology for decarbonisation. By May 2024, the project had passed all commissioning tests.
Tianjin Cement Industry Design & Research Institute, also owned by China National Building Material Group, provided both the technology and EPC services for the project. The oxy-fuel operation increases the CO2 concentration of the cement plant exhaust gas to above 80% by replacing nitrogen-rich ambient air with oxygen. After undergoing a pressure swing adsorption and low temperature distillation process, the CO2 concentration at the Qingzhou project is higher than 99.9%. The enriched CO2 is used for enhanced oil recovery and other applications. The engineering design was completed in December 2022, construction started in June 2023 and was completed in December 2023, and commissioning began in January 2024. The total investment cost of this project is around 260 million RMB.
Oxy-fuel combustion is a promising technological path for CO2 capture due to its ability to generate highly concentrated CO2 streams, potentially making capture easier and cheaper.[1] However, further development is needed to reduce the cost of oxygen separation and adapt the technology to different industry settings. The Qingzhou project is a critical step in this learning process. Notably, China has a long history of studying oxy-fuel combustion. In January 2015, Huazhong University of Science and Technology began demonstrating a 35 MW oxy-fuel combustion power project with a capture scale of 100 ktpa. Additionally, China is exploring the application of oxy-fuel combustion in the steel and petrochemical sectors.
In comparison to other carbon capture technologies in the cement sector, such as amine-based capture and calcium looping, oxy-fuel combustion presents unique advantages and challenges.[2] Amine-based post-combustion capture technology, while currently more mature, typically has lower efficiency (higher energy penalty) in cement plants. Calcium looping, another promising technology, offers potential benefits but also requires further development and optimisation. The experiences China has gained through its focus on oxy-fuel combustion can not only support the country’s net-zero efforts but also contribute to global technological advancements in the quest for CCUS in hard-to-abate industries.
Figure: The CO2 Storage Tanks at the Qingzhou Oxy-fuel Combustion Cement Project Site (provided by Tianjin Cement Industry Design & Research Institute)
[1] Saeed Talei, Fozer, D., Petar Sabev Varbanov, Szanyi, A. and Mizsey, P. (2024). Oxyfuel Combustion Makes Carbon Capture More Efficient. ACS Omega, 9(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c05034.
[2] Hanifa, M., Agarwal, R., Sharma, U., Thapliyal, P.C. and Singh, L.P. (2023). A review on CO2 capture and sequestration in the construction industry: Emerging approaches and commercialised technologies. Journal of CO2 Utilization, 67, p.102292. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2022.102292.
This piece was written by Dr Xiaoliang Yang, Country Manager China with the Global CCS Institute.