Reducing emissions is one challenge facing heavy industry. Finding value in materials traditionally treated as waste is another. Newcastle-based MCi Carbon has spent more than 15 years developing mineral carbonation technology aimed at tackling both.
The process uses captured carbon dioxide and mineral-rich materials, including industrial by-products such as steel slag and waste rock, to create stable minerals that can then be used in products including concrete, plasterboard, paint, paper, glass and adhesives.
Unlike traditional carbon capture, which focuses on storing emissions underground, mineral carbonation aims to turn carbon dioxide into a useful raw material. The low-pressure, low-energy process creates products that already have established commercial uses.
MCi Carbon Head of Communications Todd McHenry said the connection between mining and mineral carbonation is often misunderstood.
“The technology has the potential to help mining companies create value from materials that have traditionally been considered waste.
“Many mining and industrial operations produce mineral-rich by-products that have limited commercial use. Through mineral carbonation, some of those materials can become part of new products while also permanently storing carbon dioxide.”
Todd said the same could be said for the people behind the technology. Many of the engineers, operators and technical specialists working at Myrtle have backgrounds in the coal industry.
“The skills are incredibly transferable. We’ve been able to draw on people with experience across mining and heavy industry because they understand how these types of operations work.
“As the technology moves towards commercial deployment, we expect more opportunities for people with those backgrounds to help build the next stage of the industry.”
MCi Carbon recently opened its demonstration-scale facility, Myrtle, integrated with Orica’s Kooragang Island ammonia plant in Newcastle. The facility uses carbon dioxide captured from the site’s operations and gives industrial companies the opportunity to test the technology using their own carbon dioxide streams and mineral feedstocks before investing in commercial-scale projects.
The platform is designed to accept a range of carbon dioxide sources and mineral feedstocks, making it adaptable to different industrial operations.
The company’s materials have already been trialled in concrete at Boral’s Maldon Cement Works in NSW, where they performed on par with conventional materials under commercial conditions.
“We’re not asking construction to change how it works. We’re giving it a better material to work with,” MCi Carbon Founder and CEO Marcus Dawe said.
While construction is one of the first applications for the end product, the technology could also create opportunities further up the supply chain.
For mining companies, the attraction is twofold. Materials that have traditionally been treated as waste may become valuable feedstocks, while permanently storing carbon within those materials also has the potential to create carbon credit opportunities in some applications.
While the first commercial projects are centred on steel, cement and nickel, the technology has potential applications across a much broader range of industrial sectors. Across heavy industry, companies are increasingly looking for practical ways to reduce emissions while making better use of existing resources.
