PROJECT SELECTIONS FOR FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT DE-FOA-0003365: CARBON CAPTURE, REMOVAL, AND CONVERSION TEST CENTERS
Cement Carbon Capture and Conversion Technology Accelerator (C4T-X) — The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois (Urbana, Illinois) intends to develop the conceptual design, business, technical and managerial structures for an internationally recognized test center to evaluate and accelerate carbon capture, removal and conversion technologies under relevant industrial operating conditions for carbon dioxide (CO2) management in the cement industry. The selected effort represents a Phase 1 project. A competitive down-select will be performed for a Phase 2 award, which will include the design, construction and operation of a Carbon Capture, Removal and Conversion Test Center at the selected cement manufacturing facility. If selected for Phase 2, the test center will provide an ideal platform to cost-effectively research and evaluate, in an integrated process, the technical efficacy of advanced systems and components to enable the decarbonization of the cement industry.
Cement Carbon Management Innovation Center — Holcim US (Chicago, Illinois) plans to establish a domestic Cement Carbon Management Innovation Center at its Hagerstown Cement Facility in Maryland. The selected effort represents a Phase 1 project to explore the feasibility of the potential testing center location, ownership structure, business model and technology partners. A competitive down-select will be performed for a Phase 2 award, which will include the design, construction and operation of the Carbon Capture, Removal and Conversion Test Center at a cement manufacturing facility. If selected for a Phase 2 award, the Center will accelerate decarbonization through the testing and demonstration of emerging carbon capture technologies and carbon utilization or conversion technologies. The Center will address the challenge of understanding how different technologies perform on real cement flue gas conditions and provide an industry-focused development platform that will speed up technology development.
National Carbon Capture Center — Southern Company Services, Inc. (Birmingham, Alabama) intends to maintain and operate the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC), which is a comprehensive test facility capable of evaluating CO2 capture, removal, and conversion technologies under electric generating plant operating conditions. The NCCC has completed more than 155,000 hours of technology testing with over 80 lab-, bench-, and pilot-scale technologies developed by carbon management innovators from seven countries, resulting in a more than 40% reduction in the cost of CO2 capture since the NCCC has been in operation. The NCCC has tested membranes, sorbents, solvents, hybrid processes, and cryogenic systems, readying over 12 technologies for additional testing at 10 megawatt-scale or greater.
Carbon Capture Test Center Capital Improvement — University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (Grand Forks, North Dakota) plans to enhance its existing CO2 capture, removal and conversion test center to rapidly and cost-effectively test a greater variety of technologies and evaluate the technical efficacy of advanced systems with data generated under relevant power plant operating conditions. The augmented test center will support multi-day, continuous, 24-hour-a-day testing that can provide coal or natural gas-derived flue gas at a minimum rate of 5,000 pounds per hour and other simultaneous tests at smaller scales.
Wyoming Integrated Test Center Enhancement — University of Wyoming (Laramie, Wyoming) plans to expand the existing Wyoming Integrated Test Center’s (ITC) capabilities by accommodating a wider range of carbon management technologies. Since opening in 2018, Wyoming ITC has supported the commercialization of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) technologies by providing researchers with the essential infrastructure to test CCUS technologies using actual coal-derived flue gas. The proposed expansion of the Wyoming ITC will allow for the simulation of emissions from various sources, such as natural gas and industrial facilities, offering flexibility to researchers and reducing redundant infrastructure. Additionally, the project will streamline the onboarding process for technology developers and offer ongoing technical support.