Onboard Carbon Capture to Feed Cement Production
UK-based Seabound will install a carbon capture system on the 5,700 GT cement carrier UBC Cork, owned by Hartmann Group and managed by InterMaritime.
The captured carbon — bound in limestone — will be offloaded at the Port of Brevik, Norway, and used in Heidelberg Materials' Brevik cement plant. Recently inaugurated, this world-first industrial-scale carbon capture facility in the cement industry will produce net-zero concrete.
Seabound's containerized carbon capture system uses calcium looping technology to capture up to 95% of CO₂2 and 98% of sulfur emissions from ship exhaust. The process uses calcium hydroxide, derived from calcium oxide and commonly known as slaked lime, to absorb CO2 and convert it into limestone that is stored onboard.
This design decouples carbon capture from post-processing, resulting in lower energy requirements, faster deployment and reduced cost compared to traditional liquefied CO2 systems, says Seabound.
Alisha Fredriksson, CEO and Co-founder of Seabound, says Brevik is a strategic location that's rapidly establishing itself as a global hub for carbon capture and storage with Heidelberg's world-first facility and the Northern Lights pick up point. “Together, we're demonstrating how onboard carbon capture can accelerate emissions reductions in carbon-intensive sectors."
As part of its Net Zero strategy, Heidelberg Materials is committed to decarbonizing its maritime transport and supply chain. "Shipping cement is emissions-intensive, and Seabound's system gives us a clear path to reduce those Scope 3 emissions while enhancing our circular use of captured CO₂," said Lars Erik Marcussen, Project Manager, Logistics at Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe. "This project brings us one step closer to also decarbonizing the logistics/transport part of our operations."
The project is co-funded by the Eurostars partnership on Innovative SMEs which is part of Horizon Europe through the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation. This funding supports collaborative R&D projects that drive innovation in a range of industries, including maritime transport. The consortium of funding recipients supporting this initiative includes the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, a center of excellence in maritime research with an interest in advancing new decarbonization technologies.