MCi Carbon, an Australian clean technology platform, has commenced preliminary engineering work for its first industrial large-scale plant in collaboration with refractories leader RHI Magnesita.

Alongside an additional multi-million-dollar investment from RHI Magnesita, this accelerates MCi Carbon’s mission to scale-up and commercialise its carbon capture and utilisation technology, the company said.

“This investment marks a pivotal moment for MCi Carbon and underscores the trust our partners place in our transformative technology,” Marcus Dawe, Founder and CEO of MCi Carbon, said. “With RHI Magnesita’s support, we are poised to accelerate our global commercialisation efforts and address the challenges faced by heavy industries in achieving decarbonisation.”

Stefan Borgas, CEO of RHI Magnesita, said: “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 utilisation. This is currently the most promising way for the refractory industry to reduce process emissions.”

Previously, RHI Magnesita signed a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with MCi to decarbonise components of its operations. This partnership was formed alongside an initial multi-million-dollar investment made in February 2023 in MCi’s carbon capture and utilisation 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 1,000 t/y of CO2 through customer-focused trial campaigns. The company is scaling its technology to provide decarbonisation pathways for hard-to abate sectors including steel, cement, lime, mining, chemicals and manufacturing.