Ethanol Blog

LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- A Wyoming company will capture carbon dioxide from an Archer Daniels Midland corn-processing plant in Columbus, Nebraska, and transport it across Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming on a now-former natural gas pipeline.

Tallgrass announced in a news release on Thursday that the agreement is to transport about 10 million tons of CO2 annually through a 400-mile pipeline from ADM's plant.

CO2 will be transported to Tallgrass' eastern Wyoming sequestration hub for permanent underground storage.

"By utilizing a converted natural gas pipeline for CO2 transportation, Tallgrass minimizes the need for new pipeline infrastructure while enabling ADM, a global leader in sustainable products, to further decarbonize its global operations and strengthen Nebraska's agriculture industry," Tallgrass said in a news release.

Tallgrass recently announced plans to develop a commercial-scale CO2 sequestration hub in eastern Wyoming expected to be in service in 2024.

"We are excited to work on this project with ADM, a company that's already demonstrated it is on the cutting edge of carbon capture," Kyle Quackenbush, segment president at Tallgrass said in a news release.

"We're able to repurpose existing infrastructure to create significant CO2 transportation capacity without impacting natural gas service in that region. At the same time, we are enabling customers to meet their decarbonization goals, as well as minimizing environmental and landowner impact. Our CO2 pipeline will be capable of transporting significant additional CO2 volumes to accommodate the capture, transportation, and sequestration of many other emissions sources in the region."

Mark McHargue, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, said the Tallgrass project aligns with efforts by farmers to secure ag-production facilities for the future.

"Nebraska Farm Bureau's farm and ranch member families have long supported pipeline projects for use as part of our nation's important energy and carbon capture infrastructure," he said.

"As those who rely upon our nation's natural resources to produce the world's food, fiber, and fuel, Nebraska's farmers and ranchers are also dedicated to ensuring their future use for generations. Projects like these provide agricultural producers with options that add value and support key industries like ethanol production, while continuing to steward the land and climate families rely upon."

Chris Cuddy, president of ADM's carbohydrate solutions business, said the announcement is part of the company's ongoing efforts to reach net-zero CO2 emissions.

"ADM is meeting growing customer demand, advancing our strategy and living up to our purpose by continuing to lead in the decarbonization of our industry," Cuddy said in a news release.

Earlier this year, ADM announced an agreement to sequester carbon from two of its biggest processing facilities in the country, according to the news release.

"Carbon sequestration is a key way in which we're evolving our carbohydrate solutions business, one that has already allowed us to deliver the industry's first net-zero emission wheat-milling footprint and will continue to enable us to advance our strategy and scale up our work to meet ever-expanding needs and make a positive impact for global populations," Cuddy said.

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @DTNeeley

(c) Copyright 2022 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.