Carbon Capture Costs: FEED & pre-FEED Cost Reports

Membrane Technology & Research Inc., with Sargent & Lundy and CEMEX, is designing a full-scale Polaris membrane CO₂ capture system for the CEMEX Balcones cement plant in New Braunfels, Texas, targeting about 1 million tonnes of CO₂ capture annually. The study will develop the design basis, process design, cost estimates, permitting and safety reviews, constructability assessment, and a techno-economic analysis. Sargent & Lundy will lead the design work, while CEMEX will provide site-specific data for integration.

The Red Trail Energy (RTE) ethanol facility in Richardton, North Dakota, is implementing a CO₂ capture and liquefaction system designed by Trimeric. The system captures CO₂ from fermentation, compresses it to ~350 psig, dehydrates and liquefies it using an ammonia refrigeration loop, and purifies it via distillation to remove oxygen and other gases. The liquid CO₂ can be stored for sale or geologic sequestration. The facility is designed to process 587 tonnes/day (scalable to 675 tonnes/day), with nearly complete CO₂ recovery.

The Peterhead CCS Project in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was designed to demonstrate the world’s first commercial-scale post-combustion CO₂ capture from a gas-fired power station. Using amine-based CANSOLV technology, it aimed to capture around one million tonnes of CO₂ annually from one turbine at SSE’s Peterhead Power Station, compress and condition it, and transport it via a new offshore pipeline for injection into the depleted Goldeneye gas reservoir over 2 km beneath the North Sea. The FEED study defined project scope, refined CAPEX and OPEX estimates, and assessed cost uncertainties, providing a basis for the Execute phase while also documenting budget performance and emergent costs during FEED.