Our member, LanzaTech, in collaboration with the French mining and metallurgy company Eramet, is launching a new project to develop a commercial-scale Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) facility at Herøya Industrial Park in Porsgrunn, southern Norway. The plant, set to begin ethanol production in 2028, will use furnace gas supplied by Eramet from the Porsgrunn Manganese Alloys smelter as feedstock, without direct financial involvement from Eramet.
This “first-of-a-kind” carbon recycling facility developed by Lanzatech, based on a biological fermentation process, will transform up to 30% of the carbon dioxide contained in these gases into sustainable products like ethanol, which has applications across chemicals, packaging, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The final investment decision for phase 1 is expected in early 2025, and the plant would start operations in 2028. The plant’s maximum production capacity is estimated at 24,000 tonnes of ethanol per year.
Eramet’s Porsgrunn smelter produces manganese alloys using closed furnaces, a hard-to-abate process, as carbon is necessary for the chemical reduction of manganese ore. As part of its decarbonisation goal to reduce emissions by 40% by 2035, Eramet has identified CCU as a key strategy. This project will significantly contribute to Eramet’s path toward near-zero CO₂ emission manganese alloys.
LanzaTech’s CEO, Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, emphasised the project’s role in establishing a circular carbon economy. ‘By recycling above-ground carbon with our CCU process, this groundbreaking project brings us closer to a sustainable global carbon economy, she said.’
In addition to reducing emissions, the plant is expected to boost the local economy by creating jobs in the Grenland region, enhancing Porsgrunn’s reputation for industrial innovation.
Find more on the Norway’s first carbon recycling facility here.
