The Plains CO/sub 2/ reduction (PCOR) Partnership - identifying CO/sub 2/ sequestration opportunities for the cement industry in the central interior of North America

The Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership is one of seven regional partnerships established by the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The goal of the NETL regional partnerships program is to assess carbon sequestration opportunities that exist throughout the United States and Canada. The PCOR Partnership region covers an area of over 1.3 million square miles and includes nine states and three Canadian provinces. During Phase I activities, an inventory was made of the region´s major stationary CO ₂ sources, and many of the major geologic and terrestrial sinks were identified and characterized. The most likely sequestration options were matched to the CO₂ produced by a given type of point source. Phase I activities identified thirteen cement/clinker production facilities located within the PCOR Partnership region. Collectively, they emit a total of approximately 12.5 million short tons of CO₂/yr, which is 2.3% of the CO₂ emitted from point sources in the region. Amine scrubbing currently offers the best near-term potential for effective separation of CO₂ from cement kiln exit gases, with the cost of capturing and separating CO₂ from cement kiln exit gases estimated to range from $41 to $45/short ton. Compressing it to pipeline pressures costs about $9/short ton. The design and siting of cement production facilities should consider the possibility of CO₂ capture and sequestration at some point in the future. While on the surface it may seem as if capture of CO₂ from cement kilns will result in increased costs to the industry, it in fact may offer significant opportunities for development of new revenue streams, enhanced corporate image, new product development through attendant research and development, and potential efficiency gains in overall process operation