Eco-aggregates: A new product for capturing CO₂

Thanks to the technology and innovation by O.C.O Technology Limited, a company specializing in carbon capture, sustainable construction products, and waste treatment, we can capture and use the CO₂ generated in our industrial processes to produce an eco-aggregate that the construction industry uses as a raw material in its manufacturing processes.

This eco-aggregate, which is produced using the ashes from the incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) along with captured CO₂, generates an important environmental benefit for society in addition to promoting the circular economy and industrial symbiosis with the construction sector.

What is the CO₂mineralization project?

At Repsol, together with our partner O.C.O Technology Limited, we’re going to start building a plant in the vicinity of our Petronor facilities to incorporate O.C.O technology for the manufacture of aggregates (gravel) produced from CO₂ captured at the Petronor refinery and ashes. Aggregates are the raw material used by the construction industry to manufacture concrete and roads, among other uses.

These eco-aggregates promote the reuse of waste such as ashes by converting them into new raw materials that we reintroduce back into production cycles. The use of eco-aggregates will help reduce the consumption of natural aggregates.

Our figures

22,000

tonnes/year

of ashes from the incineration of MSW that will be reused

56,000

tonnes/year

of eco-aggregates produced

2,200

tonnes/year

of CO₂ captured and reused

times

the carbon footprint is reduced compared to other traditional products

Petronor incorporates a new plant for producing negative carbon aggregates into its processes

The new plant will start up in mid-2024, and it will use the technology developed by our partner O.C.O Technology Limited to reintroduce captured CO₂ into the refinery along with other types of waste to subsequently be used as raw material.

With this plant, we continue to make progress towards our Company's goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 through the capture of CO₂, one of the levers defined for this purpose.

Project selected by the EU Innovation Fund 2020

The European Commission's Innovation Fund provides funding to the most innovative projects aimed at developing low-carbon technologies that are in a phase close to a pre-commercial scale. The Commission will only fund 32 projects out of the 230 that were submitted to the European office in 2020. The construction of this plant is one of the projects chosen to receive a €3.2 million grant.

This project has been funded by the European Commission's EU Innovation Fund 2020. Project 101038931 – AGGREGACO2.

Circular benefits

Adapt our traditional refinery building plans to include a new accelerated carbonization industrial technology developed by O.C.O Technology Limited
Use ashes from the incineration of MSW as new raw material and avoid it from ending up in landfills
Offer more sustainable and circular products as an alternative for natural aggregates to the construction sector, among others; boost industrial symbiosis
Minimize our industrial activity's environmental impact and carbon footprint
Foster collaboration with different institutions and strategic partners in addition to creating jobs
Promote two of our key levers, the circular economy and CO₂ capture, therefore advancing towards our goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050

Classification by key lines and value chain

Our circular economy projects are aligned with the key lines of our strategy and are present throughout our entire value chain, from obtaining raw materials to commercializing products and services.