COO Sophia Hamblin Wang at RHI Magnesita Hochfilzen
- MCi Carbon are planning to build their first industrial large-scale plant, together with RHI Magnesita, the leading global supplier of high‐grade refractory products, systems, and solutions, in Hochfilzen, Austria.
- RHI Magnesita has committed an additional multi-million-dollar investment into testing and scale-up of MCi Carbon’s technology in preparation for the commercial roll-out at Hochfilzen, a project planned for 2028 which will capture and transform approx. 50,000 tons of CO2 per year and create mineral value products that are carbon negative.
- In preparation, MCi Carbon will conduct trial campaigns to assess scale up of the technology at the demonstration carbon capture and utilization plant ‘Myrtle’ located in Newcastle, Australia.
- MCi Carbon‘s technology captures and transforms CO2 from industrial emissions into solid mineral materials, offering decarbonization solutions for hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement, lime, mining, chemicals, and manufacturing.
In a groundbreaking move towards global sustainable industrial decarbonization, MCi Carbon, an Australian clean technology platform, have commenced preliminary engineering work for their first industrial large-scale plant in collaboration with world-renowned refractories leader RHI Magnesita. Alongside an additional multi-million-dollar investment from RHI Magnesita, this accelerates MCi Carbon’s mission to scale-up and commercialize their carbon capture and utilisation technology.
“This investment marks a pivotal moment for MCi Carbon and underscores the trust our partners place in our transformative technology. With RHI Magnesita’s support, we are poised to accelerate our global commercialization efforts and address the challenges faced by heavy industries in achieving decarbonization,” said Marcus Dawe, Founder and CEO of MCi Carbon.
“The partnership with the Australian cleantech startup MCi Carbon is forward-looking and their technological approach is particularly interesting because it combines carbon capture storage and carbon utilization. This is currently the most promising way for the refractory industry to reduce process emissions,” says Stefan Borgas, CEO of RHI Magnesita.
Previously, RHI Magnesita signed a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with MCi to decarbonize components of their operations. This partnership was formed alongside an initial multi-million-dollar investment made in February 2023 in MCi’s carbon capture and utilization technology. RHI Magnesita will be MCi Carbon’s first global commercial customer.
The investment will facilitate completion of the Myrtle facility, which is currently being constructed in Newcastle, Australia. Once complete, Myrtle will abate over 1000 tonnes of CO2 annually through customer-focussed trial campaigns. The company is scaling its technology to provide decarbonization pathways for hard-to abate sectors including steel, cement, lime, mining, chemicals, and manufacturing.
This week, MCi Carbon’s co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Sophia Hamblin Wang is attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Ms Hamblin Wang is urging global leaders to shift from rhetoric to tangible action to combat climate change, calling for courageous climate capital to propel industries towards a net zero emissions future.
“Attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos presents a unique opportunity to advocate for climate action and promote our mission. We call on global leaders to move beyond rhetoric and embrace tangible actions, fostering a climate-conscious, prosperous future,” said Ms Hamblin Wang. “MCi Carbon’s technology proves that it is possible to decarbonise and create profitable business models at the same time. The support of RHI Magnesita accelerates our impact, amplifies our voice and solidifies our position as leaders in carbon capture and utilization.”
About MCi Carbon
MCi Carbon (MCi) is a world-leading and award-winning Australian clean technology company transforming carbon dioxide (CO2) into building products and materials for the circular carbon economy. Based in Canberra, MCi Carbon has a technical headquarters in Newcastle, a global reference pilot plant at the Newcastle Institute of Energy and Resources (NIER). Founded in 2013, MCi’s proprietary mineral carbonation technology is a low-cost, low-pressure, low-energy chemical engineering process to transform CO2 emissions from industrial sources into solid materials for use in a range of products.
MCi has received local and international recognition for its R&D, recently awarded the Circular Transition Award at the 34th National Banksia Sustainability Awards and the NSW Clean Technology Award. In 2021, MCi won first prize at the Clean Energy Start-up Pitch Battle at COP26 in Glasgow. Other global accolades include the 2018 Resource Innovator of the Year Award at the New Materials Summit in Berlin and being featured at the World Economic Forum Pioneers of Change Summit, building momentum as a global brand and a leader in carbon capture and utilisation (CCU).
Recently featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, and the Australian Financial Review, MCi CEO Marcus Dawe and COO Sophia Hamblin Wang were named in the Top 100 Australian Green Power Players, published in The Australian.
For more information, please visit mcicarbon.com
About RHI Magnesia
RHI Magnesita is the leading global supplier of high-grade refractory products, systems and solutions which are critical for high-temperature processes exceeding 1,200°C in a wide range of industries, including steel, cement, non-ferrous metals and glass. With a vertically integrated value chain, from raw materials to refractory products and full performance-based solutions, RHI Magnesita serves customers around the world, with around 15,000 employees in 47 production sites, 7 recycling facilities and more than 70 sales offices. RHI Magnesita intends to build on its leadership in revenue, scale, product portfolio and diversified geographic presence to expand further in high growth markets.
The Group maintains a premium listing on the Official list of the London Stock Exchange (symbol: RHIM) and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index, with a secondary listing on the Vienna Stock Exchange (Wiener Börse). For more information please visit: www.rhimagnesita.com
