Australia opens first carbon refinery, making new products from captured CO2

NEWCASTLE/PERTH - Australia’s first carbon refinery opened in New South Wales, capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) 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 tonnes 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.

“This will help (emitters) decarbonise, while also making a profit,” Bowen said.

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 tonnes a year. Last year Bowen updated its emissions reduction target to 62 per cent to 70 per cent from 2005 levels by 2035. Unlike carbon capture and storage technology, which moves CO2 into underground caverns, CCUS produces a ‘carbon-embodied’ product.