Elkem to test world's first carbon capture pilot for smelters

Two-year project seeks to prepare a “full-scale plant for industrial carbon capture”.

Norweigan-based Elkem, a producer of adanced silicon-based advanced materials, is to test the world’s first carbon capture pilot for silicon smelters.

The test unit will be installed at Elkem’s plant in Rana, Norway, which produces high purity ferrosilicon and microsilica.

The goal of the project is to verify the technology on real industrial exhaust gases from smelters, to prepare a full-scale plant for industrial carbon capture, and is expected to run over two years.

The pilot is a collaboration between Elkem and Mo Industripark, SINTEF, Alcoa, Celsa, Ferroglobe, SMA Mineral, Norcem, Norfrakalk, Arctic Cluster Team and Aker Carbon Capture, and is supported through the CLIMIT-Demo program, by state enterprise Gassnova SF, Norway’s national programme for research, development and demonstration of CO2 capture and storage technology.

'Elkem aims to be part of the solution to combat climate change – and to be one of the winners in the green transition. Our mission is to provide advanced material solutions shaping a better and more sustainable future. We have recently launched a climate roadmap detailing our ambitions to reduce emissions while growing our supplies to the green transition. Carbon capture is a key technology to reach net-zero by 2050, says Elkem’s CEO, Helge Aasen.