One of the world's first mineral carbonation demonstration plants has been approved for Kooragang Island.
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The MCi Carbon project will convert thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually into building products and other valuable materials for the circular economy.
The plant, located at Orica's manufacturing plant, will operate rapid validation customer campaigns, empowering hard-to-abate industries, such as steel, cement, chemicals, and mining, to decarbonise their operations.
"The MCi demonstration plant will fast-track our technology towards commercial opportunities," chief executive Mr Dawe said.
He said the team at the company's Mayfield West technical headquarters is growing rapidly as skilled people transition from coal and traditional mining to decarbonisation technology
"Our team is focused on more than just the capturing and transforming of industrial emissions, known as Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) - we are thinking about the circular economy, and creating a competitive advantage for Australia in advanced manufacturing and critical minerals," Mr Dawe said.
The company was recently awarded a National Banksia Sustainability Award in recognition of its work to decarbonise global industries.
The awards celebrate innovation and leadership through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In another win, Japan's Mizuho Bank recently invested $5million into MCi Carbon in a show of confidence in the company's progress towards decarbonising the global economy.
Mizuho Bank operates a 'transition investment facility' that provides equity investments in early-stage corporations involved in sustainability initiatives.
"We are a proudly Australian company with global ambitions. Our team is moving ahead with Japanese, European and US customers," Mr Dawe said.
MCi Carbon's operations site within a portfolio of carbon utilisation technologies that will ultimately be required to meet the Paris Agreement climate change targets.
The company has set a goal to build industrial scale plants across the world by 2027, converting millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into negative carbon materials for use by product manufacturers and construction companies.
Its scale and commercialisation goals include the construction of a demonstration plant in 2023, with industrial plants to be built between 2027 and 2030, and large-scale plants across multiple sites realised from 2030 and beyond.
These plants are expected to be profitable without the immediate need for a carbon price.
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Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
