Australian energy producer Woodside Energy, part of Woodside Petroleum Ltd (Woodside), together with US-headed technology developers ReCarbon Inc., and LanzaTech Inc., have launched a collaborative studies program aimed at converting carbon dioxide emissions into useful products.
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Woodside’s climate strategy has two key elements: reducing Woodside’s net equity Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and investing in the products and services that its customers need as they reduce their emissions.
In 2021, Woodside set a US$5 billion investment target by 2030 for new energy products and lower-carbon services such as hydrogen, renewables, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).
Pilot CCU project
Together, Woodside, ReCarbon, and LanzaTech are investigating the viability of a proposed Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) pilot facility in Perth, Western Australia (WA).
The proposed pilot facility would recycle GHG emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) into value-added ethanol using ReCarbon and LanzaTech’s technologies.
The ReCarbon technology would convert CO2 and CH4 into synthesis gas (syngas), with the LanzaTech technology fermenting the syngas into ethanol.
The global energy and fuel sector is experiencing an unprecedented transition. We are grateful to be selected as a leading technology solution to transform greenhouse gases into decarbonized products. Woodside is moving decisively by establishing real projects with its CCU initiative, and ReCarbon is proud to play our part, said Dr Jay Kim, Founder, and CEO of ReCarbon.
Traditionally, ethanol manufacture relies on land and water use for source crops, such as corn. CCU reduces the reliance on these natural resources.
Waste carbon can be transformed into critical resources like ethanol without adding CO2 to the atmosphere. Together with Woodside and ReCarbon, we can create an opportunity to reuse greenhouse gases for meaningful applications, commented Dr Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech.
CCU is a growth area for lower carbon
Woodside believes CCU is an emerging field with growing demand from existing and potential customers seeking alternative solutions for lower carbon.
This collaboration and proposed pilot demonstrate Woodside’s commitment to developing new energy products and lower-carbon services.
The project is now in the front-end engineering design phase.
Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill described CCU as an exciting addition to the portfolio as it looked at carbon as an opportunity and resource, not just a challenge.
What’s notable about CCU is the wider co-benefits. Some end products have a further decarbonization benefit. Products such as ethanol can be used as raw materials in the chemical manufacturing industry. We also see a potential role for the technology in helping to abate some of our Scope 1 and 2 emissions, she said.
Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator is currently leading a co-design process to develop a carbon capture use and storage method under the Emissions Reduction Fund.