Pycasso Project CO₂

Application of CO₂  capture: the first step

On the Lafarge Martres-Tolosane industrial cement works (the first partner site of the Pycasso project), the decarbonisation process upstream of capture is already fully applied. It is implemented throughout the production process through the use of more energy-efficient kilns, alternative fuels sourced from waste, and the use of less polluting raw materials. Nevertheless, the business continues to generate a significant volume of incompressible carbon dioxide, because of the obligation to use limestone (composed of 40% CO₂) to produce cement.

The technique of capturing Co₂ by cold distillation envisaged by Lafarge is already used by other industrial actors and delivers optimal performance, allowing the near-total elimination of the residual carbon. A platform will be operational in 2025, to initiate the pre-treatment of gases emitted by the cement works during test phases and be ready by 2031.

The site capture point will be connected to the main transport grid. Extraction will be subject to safety checks at the pipeline entry point, which will guarantee the purity of the CO₂ being delivered.

Understanding CO₂ capture

What is carbon capture?

This is the ultimate decarbonisation step in industry. It applies solely to the residual CO₂ that remains, in spite of all the solutions available to avoid and reduce energy consumption, along with the use of renewable and low-carbon energy.

How does CO₂  capture work?

CO₂ capture consists in extracting the carbon from the combustion fumes released from chimneys and concentrating it, so as to make it pure and transportable to a storage site or useable as a raw material. This new raw material will be likely to be used by green chemicals companies to produce renewable fuels for aviation, for example.

Is CO₂ capture efficient?

CO₂ capture processes allow 90% efficiency to be achieved, and result in recovered CO₂ with a purity close to 95%, or even higher. From an energy point of view, however, you have to consider the relatively energy-intensive nature of the process (energy expenditure of around 0.65 MWh per tonne of CO₂ captured), which may draw on a source of electricity in the form of fatal heat or from biomass.

Why CO₂ capture?

According to the IPCC’s latest report, world greenhouse gas emissions must fall in a fast and sustained manner from 2025. Without a sufficient reduction, it would be impossible to limit global warming to +2°C or even +1.5°C. The consequences would then be dramatic and irreversible. In its Net Zero by 2050 report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) sets out a practical roadmap to achieving carbon neutrality. Carbon capture at the industrial level is one part of the foundations on which any significant results will be built. In fact, uncaptured residual industrial CO₂ is discharged into the atmosphere in exhaust fumes from factories, and makes up a significant proportion of the GHGs that impact climate change. It is therefore essential to use effective resources to capture it.

Is CO₂ capture a convoluted way of making industry richer?

The subsidies from France and Europe finance the implementation of the CCUS chain, serving the objectives of combating climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the disappearance of fossil fuels. An indirect economic consequence is expected, which will benefit the conversion of industry and safeguard associated jobs.

CO₂ storage implementation: sedimentary basins are the priority

The Far South-West of France has the largest potential for terrestrial carbon storage (750 Mt estimated to be available, according to the survey and prospects of CCUS deployment in France).  In this respect, and according to current understanding, the Pycasso project favours storage in depleted hydrocarbon deposits, but also looks at other storage options such as salt aquifers. To be stored, captured CO₂ would be injected underground, into the heart of natural geological formations, formerly exploited for the extraction of gas and oil. One alternative storage approach, in salt aquifers, will also be examined to offer an alternative and complementary solution.

Detailed State-run studies are continuing, to establish the actual CO₂ storage capacities at the different French sites and to guarantee their conformity for containing CO₂ in a sustainable way and under optimal safety conditions.