Integrating Dispersed Cement Production into the UK’s CCS Network (Flexible Funding 2022)

Dr Muir Freer and Dr Clair Gough, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester, were awarded funding in the UKCCSRC’s Flexible Funding 2022 call to look at the “Integrating Dispersed Cement Production into the UK’s CCS Network”.

Delivering on Net Zero targets requires innovative solutions, particularly for sectors with high emissions, such as cement production. While the UK’s Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) clusters are pivotal, integrating dispersed cement production facilities into this network would enable the sector to make significant emissions reductions through CCS deployment. In this research, we explore the potential pathways for incorporating these dispersed sources into the UK’s CCS infrastructure.

Cement Production and CCS

This flexibly-funded research project focused on the integration of dispersed CO₂ sources, such as cement and lime facilities, into the UK’s CCS network. Using the Carbon Navigation System Model (CNS) [1] the research explored CO₂ routing decisions and the implications of alternative transportation modes to connect these dispersed facilities to the UK CCS clusters.

Industrial clusters group multiple industrial facilities to share CO₂ capture, transport and storage infrastructure. These clusters, typically located along the coast, provide access to low-carbon transport options, such as shipping and rail, to offshore geological storage sites via CO₂ pipeline. While new clusters are emerging, the research focuses on access to the UK’s Track 1 Hynet and East Coast clusters (targeting deployment in the mid 2020s) and Track 2 Scottish and Viking clusters (targeting deployment by 2030) supported by the Government’s Cluster Sequencing Process.

Cement production contributes approximately 7% [2] of the world’s total emissions; alongside measures for demand reduction and material substitution, the sector presents unique challenges to abating emissions from its calcination, fuel combustion and manufacturing processes. While the use of alternative fuels, material substitution and process optimisation can contribute to emissions savings, bringing cement production towards net zero will require CCS technologies.  The industry estimates that to achieve net zero, CCS will contribute about 60% of the sector’s emission reductions by 2050 [3]. However, most cement and lime facilities are located outside of the existing CCS clusters. In order to deploy CCS, these facilities will require a mix of CO₂ transportation modes, including pipelines and non-pipeline transportation (NPT) such as heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), rail and shipping. NPT is necessary for emitters without pipeline access to connect to offshore geological storage sites via CCS clusters.

Challenges of Integrating Dispersed Emitters

Integrating dispersed cement facilities into the CCS network presents several challenges:

• Distance from Clusters: Many cement facilities are located far from existing CCS clusters, complicating CO₂ transport logistics.
• Infrastructure Costs: Building new pipelines or upgrading existing infrastructure can be expensive and time-consuming.
• Regulatory Hurdles: Navigating the regulatory landscape and obtaining necessary permits for new infrastructure takes time.
• Flexible Transport Solutions: Dispersed sites require a variety of transport solutions, such as a combination of pipelines, rail and shipping, depending on location and infrastructure availability.

Importance of Inland Clusters

An inland cluster serves as an extension hub connecting dispersed carbon-emitting facilities to the Track-1 and 2 CCS networks. Developing inland clusters could serve as hubs that connect high carbon-emitting facilities to the main CCS network. The performance of transporting CO₂ from dispersed sites via non-pipeline methods is highly sensitive to external factors, such as fuel price increases or transportation decarbonisation. Our study highlights the role of specific inland ’feeder’ pipelines, such as the proposed Derbyshire pipeline connecting the inland Peak Cluster to the North-West cluster, with the potential to significantly reduce both the operating costs and carbon emissions of integration.

Figure: Distribution and capture potential of cement and lime facilities in the UK relative to proposed CCS infrastructure.

Integrating the cement industry to CCS clusters

This research has identified the following measures through which to address challenges and leverage opportunities in integrating dispersed cement production into the CCS network:

1. Formation of Inland Clusters: Inland clusters can enhance the carbon and fiscal efficacy of CCS integration and reduce sensitivity to transportation price volatility.
2. High-Capacity Feed-In CO₂ Pipelines: Linking rail terminals and shipping ports to the main trunk CO₂ pipelines can improve the integration performance of dispersed emitters and alleviate logistical challenges.
3. Low-Carbon Transportation: Improve the use of low-carbon transportation methods, such as rail and shipping, and the use of decarbonised transport fuels for existing and future CCS projects.
4. Data and Knowledge Sharing: Develop a transparent, interactive database for facility operators to explore non-pipeline transportation options for CO_2.
5. Cross cluster thinking: Address the diverse infrastructural constraints of clusters across the UK to enhance network resilience.

[1] Freer, M., Gough, C., Welfle, A., Lea-Langton, A., 2022. Putting Bioenergy With Carbon Capture and Storage in a Spatial Context: What Should Go Where? Frontiers in Climate 4.

[2] https://www.iea.org/reports/technology-roadmap-low-carbon-transition-in-the-cement-industry

[3] https://cement.mineralproducts.org/MPACement/media/Cement/Publications/2020/MPA-UKC-Roadmap-to-Beyond-Net-Zero_Oct20.pdf

Read more on Muir’s Flexible Funding 2022 project page.