Integrating CO2 mineralization in industrial clusters: the benefits of material and heat integration

Curbing and capturing CO2 emissions is no longer enough to cope with the demanding environmental challenges of the coming years. Long-term storage technologies need deployment, to help industrial sectors to reach ambitious emission standards. Mineral carbonation, a process in which CO2 reacts with metal oxides forming stable and insoluble carbonates mimicking the natural weathering process, is a promising avenue to deliver net-negative emissions. In this work, we simulate and optimize the integration of mineralization in industrial clusters. Waste incineration and cement production sectors are used to demonstrate potential synergies. Several mineral ores (serpentine, olivine and wollas- tonite) are studied and both direct and indirect carbonation reactions are modelled. Results show how mineralization can be successfully integrated in reducing and achieving net-negative emissions. However, the required investment is non-negligible. A CO2 tax can be used to favor mineralization and was computed for both sectors; values range from 60 to 90 USD/ton CO2 for cement and between 120 to 200 USD/ton CO2 for waste incineration.