Overcoming Barriers to Carbon Capture
Funded through the ERA Grand Challenge Round 1 in 2014, Carbon Cycle Limited set out to advance its carbon capture process to the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) stage. Although the study was paused at approximately 70 per cent completion, the project still achieved several major breakthroughs.
Two key challenges—purifying gypsum feedstock and managing unexpectedly high capital costs—initially stalled progress. Producing high-value precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) depends on clean gypsum, and without it, the process is not economically viable. While previous efforts to purify gypsum had failed, Carbon Cycle developed a practical, low-cost solution and filed a patent. This innovation, combined with a simplified and more compact plant design, has positioned the project to resume with a stronger economic outlook.
As the FEED study progressed, the team reengineered the system to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The result is a more robust, lower-footprint process that not only meets commercial viability thresholds but also offers significant environmental benefits. The updated system reduces the carbon footprint of ammonium sulfate and PCC production by up to 30 per cent—or 40 per cent when integrated with low-temperature waste heat.
Demonstrating Economic and Environmental Viability
Carbon Cycle’s patented gypsum purification method enables the use of widely available, low-grade gypsum sources to produce high-purity PCC. This is critical to the process’s financial success, as PCC’s market value depends on its brightness and purity. The technology also supports Alberta’s climate goals by offering a carbon-negative alternative to conventional production methods. With strong demand for ammonium sulfate in Alberta’s agriculture sector and a growing need for low-carbon building materials, the project is well-aligned with regional priorities.
What’s next?
The company (now operating as Calcium Solutions) secured a U.S. patent for its gypsum purification process in 2021 and continues to seek partners or investment to complete the halted FEED study and scale up its technology. The goal is to build a pilot plant that can permanently convert waste CO2 into valuable PCC and fertilizer, validating the improved carbon-negative process. However, since the ERA-funded study’s completion, no new public updates or follow-up projects have been announced. In the absence of further news, it appears there has been no official update on Carbon Cycle’s next steps.