ADM, Tallgrass open world’s largest bioethanol carbon capture facility

ADM, a global leader in innovative solutions from nature, marked the start of operations for a new carbon capture and storage project at its Columbus, Nebraska Corn Processing Complex, making the complex the largest bioethanol carbon capture facility in the world.

The project leverages Tallgrass' Trailblazer pipeline to transport captured carbon dioxide (CO₂) from ADM’s ethanol plant in Columbus to Tallgrass’ Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub for safe, permanent storage deep underground.

The Trailblazer pipeline, formerly a 400-mile natural gas transmission line, runs through Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska, and is capable of transporting more than 10 million tons of CO₂ per year, which is the equivalent of removing more than 2 million passenger vehicles from the roads¹, or approximately 25% of all registered motor vehicles in the three states combined. As part of the project, Tallgrass also constructed a lateral line connecting ADM’s facility to the pipeline system using only voluntary easements from landowners.

“ADM has been a pioneer in the CCS industry for more than a decade and this is an expansion of that expertise,” said Chris Cuddy, president, North America at ADM. “CCS is an important part of our strategy to decarbonize our operations and help meet global demand for low-carbon ingredients, and we are proud to work with Tallgrass to find innovative solutions at facilities like Columbus. This is an exciting project for the industry and for the future of CCS technology.”

“This project proves that global impact grows from local roots,” said Alison Nelson, segment president of CO₂ business development and origination at Tallgrass. “We’re proud to stand with ADM in achieving this milestone.”