Potential Benefits from Carbon Capture Utilisation and Methanol Production in Magnesite Processing Line

Magnesite (MgCO₃) is a carbonate mineral, which is calcinated and further processed to generate magnesia (MgO) refractory materials and other products. MgCO₃ products are mainly used in the iron and steel industries, in cement manufacture as a refractory material, and as raw materials in the chemical industry, in agriculture, etc. The MgO refractory industry is linked with carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions released not only from the fuel combustion in the production process of MgCO₃, but also from its decomposition. Even though the exact amount of CO₂ eq. depends on the specific product, there is the urge to minimise the CO₂ emitted from MgO₃ processing. Carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technology has gained ground in recent years in this industry. The incorporation of CCU systems for the processing of fuel gases has been investigated as a means to contribute further to the decarbonisation of the extractive industries. The CO₂ captured through this process can be converted into a value-added chemical or liquid fuel. This study aims to overview the impact of the application of CCU technologies in MgCO₃ processing lines and the conversion of the captured CO₂ to methanol (MeOH). In this regard, the strengths (S), the weaknesses (W), the opportunities (O), and the threats (T) of the proposed concept will be discussed in a SWOT analysis coupled with the environmental and techno-economic aspects.