US-headed Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, and the University of Illinois have announced the successful completion of the Illinois Basin - Decatur Project (IBDP), a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project designed to evaluate and test the technology at commercial scale. This is one of two CCS projects located adjacent to ADM’s corn processing plant in Decatur, Illinois (IL).
The first-of-its-kind project was primarily funded through the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) by the US Department of Energy (DOE) – National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) with the goal to confirm the ability of the Mount Simon Sandstone to accept and store one million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) over a period of three years.
Today’s announcement marks an important milestone, not only for the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project but also for the advancement of CCS to combat the climate crisis. We congratulate ADM and the University of Illinois, and we’re proud to be a part of this achievement, said Dr Jennifer Wilcox, Acting Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at the US DOE.
Working together through the MGSC, the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) at the University of Illinois designed, implemented, and monitored the project and ADM were the host and operator. The ISGS is part of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Illinois Basin – Decatur project has successfully achieved its desired outcome to demonstrate that carbon capture and storage can be undertaken safely and effectively. This milestone represents a launching point for the future of this technology, including commercial-scale deployments around the world, said Sallie Greenberg, Principal Scientist Energy & Minerals, ISGS.
As part of its Strive 35 sustainability goals, ADM aims to reduce absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25 percent against a 2019 baseline.
ADM is committed to leveraging innovation and technology to advance sustainability across every aspect of our business. Deploying carbon capture and storage technology in our processing operations is one of the many ways we are reducing our environmental footprint, said Alison Taylor, Chief Sustainability Officer, ADM.
The project utilized 20 000 feet of wells to successfully inject CO2 from ADM’s processing plant more than 6 500 feet underground.
Addressing climate change in a meaningful way requires carbon emission reductions across the board. The Illinois Basin – Decatur Project shows how carbon capture and storage can play an important role in reducing these emissions. I congratulate ADM and the University of Illinois on reaching this milestone, and will continue advocating for federal investments in a clean energy economy, said Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).
More than 2 000 visitors from 30 countries have come to the site throughout the project to learn more about the process and technology.
Agribusiness leaders and producers have a vital role to play in reducing our carbon footprint, and game-changing innovation to do just that is occurring right here in central Illinois. ADM and the U of I’s partnership to capture and store carbon underground will serve as a global model on how to reduce emissions. I’d like to thank ADM and the U of I for proactively taking on this project said Congressman Rodney Davis (IL-13).
ADM also began injection operations at a second CCS project, the Illinois Industrial Sources Carbon Capture, and Storage (IISCCS) project, in Decatur in April 2017. The project is currently permitted to operate through 2022 and has the potential to store up to 5.5 million tonnes of CO2.
Collectively, these two projects have successfully stored more than 3.4 million tonnes of CO2 to date.
