Improved calcination and carbon capture for the largest lime plant in Europe

Introduction

The objective of the Everest project is to almost completely decarbonise Europe's largest lime plant, located in Flandersbach, Germany. The project will construct a completely new type of lime kiln and a large-scale industrial separation plant, which will allow CO2 to be captured and stored, both permanently and safely.

Emission Reduction Goals

The project plans to achieve 89% relative greenhouse gas (GHG) emission avoidance compared to the reference scenario. This innovative project will cover the full CO2 value chain from an inland lime plant:

1. Capture
2. Pipeline transport
3. Liquefaction
4. Shipping
5. Offshore geological storage

It will bring together all the elements of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) chain, solving potential interface issues and demonstrating the full value chain for the first time on an inland lime plant.

Carbon Capture Technology

For the carbon capture aspect of the project, a CO2 capturing unit dedicated to flue gas treatment will be connected to a combination of rotary kilns and parallel flow regenerating kilns (PFRK). Moreover, new PFRK Oxyfuel kilns will be built with specialised technology to capture the CO2 from these types of kilns, which is already highly concentrated.

This technology has the potential for wider impact in the sector, since PFRKs are the most commonly used kiln type in the lime industry worldwide. The project is expected to significantly raise the technology readiness level of the key technologies being used, particularly for existing kilns.

Environmental Impact

The fully developed project aims to avoid, through capture and storage, absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of up to 9.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the first ten years of operation.

The project will contribute to the European goals of promoting carbon capture and storage technologies, such as the objective of the Net-Zero Industry Act of achieving 50 megatonnes (Mt)/y CO2 storage capacity by 2030. Throughout its lifetime, Everest will share its experiences to support other industries in their efforts to contribute to the EU’s objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and will be instrumental in creating CO2 supply chains and a new CO2 economy.

Socio-Economic Impact

The project will also create potential socio-economic impact, planning to create 40 direct jobs and 500 indirect jobs. Everest shows a high scalability potential on existing plants both at the sector level (cement and lime industry) and on an economy-wide level across sectors and countries, tackling one key “difficult-to-abate” sector.

Due to its sheer size, Everest will be a nucleus for the CO2 infrastructure that is needed in Europe and will help other CO2 emitters within and outside the lime industry to develop and establish their own CCS projects.