U.S. Steel signs MOU for carbon capture partnership
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Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) has signed a memorandum of understanding with CarbonFree Chemicals Holdings LLC in Texas. The steelmaker said Thursday the non-binding agreement establishes a framework for pursuing the capture of CO2 emissions from U.S. Steel’s Gary Works manufacturing plant.
The MOU will set up discussions on a potential partnership. If the two companies reach a definitive agreement, U.S. Steel said it would utilize CarbonFree’s SkyCycle technology to capture carbon emissions before they enter the atmosphere.
“We are eager to enter the next phase of discussions with CarbonFree to explore the possibility of meaningful CO2 emission reductions in our operations in a capital efficient manner,” U.S. Steel Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer Richard Fruehauf said in written remarks. “Working with CarbonFree could be a meaningful step in our efforts to decarbonize the Gary Works plant while developing technology and knowhow that we could apply to other facilities within our footprint.”
The technology, according to CarbonFree, converts CO2 into a specialty chemical called precipitated calcium carbonate, or PCC, and produces hydrochloric acid, or HCI, as a co-product.
CarbonFree said PCC is a high-value product used for a variety of industrial purposes, including the manufacturing of paper, plastics, ceramics, paints, coating, adhesives, sealants, rubber and cleaning products.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says HCI is used for, among other things, refining ore in the production of tin, electroplating and the pickling and cleaning of metal products.
Additionally, CO2 that is converted into calcium carbonate can be permanently stored as an environmentally friendly material, CarbonFree said.
A decision on whether to enter into a definitive agreement is expected to be made before the end of the year. If an agreement is signed, the partners expect to begin operations in 2025.
A spokesperson for CarbonFree told Inside INdiana Business the partnership would add up to 50 jobs at the plant.
U.S. Steel said the project, if implemented, could capture up to 50,000 metric tons of CO2 annually, which is equal to the carbon emissions of nearly 11,000 passenger cars.