The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Piloting carbon capture and storage at southern BC refinery Metal Tech News – June 29, 2022
The carbon capture utilization and storage pilot project at Trail will capture CO2 from flue gas exhausted by the acid plant at this metal smelting and refinery complex in British Columbia.
As part of the goal to reduce the carbon intensity of its operations 33% by 2030 and reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, Teck Resources Ltd. is carrying out a carbon capture utilization and storage pilot project at its Trail Operations metallurgical complex.
Located in southern British Columbia, Trail is a zinc and lead smelting and refining complex that also recovers precious metals such as silver and gold, as well as critical metals germanium, indium, and cadmium from concentrates shipped from the Red Dog Mine in Alaska and elsewhere.
Though Trail is powered by low-cost and clean hydroelectricity from the Waneta Dam in southern BC, certain processes within the facility emit CO2.
The carbon capture utilization and storage pilot project will capture three metric tons of CO2 per day from flue gas exhausted by the No. 2 Acid Plant at Trail and evaluate options for using or storing the captured greenhouse gas.
The acid plant prevents sulfur dioxide emissions from Trail by converting this gas produced during the metal refining process into sulfuric acid that is used to produce fertilizer and other products.
If successful, the pilot project could be scaled up to an industrial-scale plant with the potential to capture over 100,000 metric tons of CO2 per year at Trail, the equivalent emissions of more than 20,000 cars.
"This carbon capture pilot is an important step towards our knowledge building for the application of carbon capture, utilization and storage as an emissions reduction solution, as we work to evaluate pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across our operations and achieve our net-zero goal," said Teck Resources President and CEO Don Lindsay. "The pilot also provides us with a technical platform to assist our steelmaking coal customers in materially reducing the carbon intensity of their steel production."
The carbon capture utilization and storage pilot project at Trail is being supported by contributions from the CleanBC Industry Fund, which was established to help industrial operations support Canada's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Teck's own climate goals are aligned with Canada's objectives.
"Teck is already one of the world's lowest carbon-intensity producers of copper, zinc and steelmaking coal and we are committed to further reducing the carbon footprint of our activities to support a cleaner future," Lindsay said earlier this year.
The carbon capture utilization and storage pilot plant at Trail is slated to begin operation in the second half of 2023.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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