Valley City State University is making progress on a “carbon capture” project.
VCSU president Dr. Tisa Mason said the old heat plant had to be replaced, and the new heat plant is now operational. It will be ready to capture the carbon.
Mason said the university has been in discussions with partners who may buy the “activated carbon” to be captured from that heat plant. She said a “request for proposals” will soon be out, and she says she’s hoping to have some responses back in September.
"We're still excited about it," Mason said. "We've had a lot of interest from some companies who are interested in partnering with us. We're still doing research, and going through that process very methodically."
The plant would produce "activated carbon."
"It's sort of like what we put in a Brita filter," Mason said. "It cleans the environment."
Mason said there is a worldwide demand for activated carbon.
"The market is so wide out there," Mason said. "Even with everything we can produce, there will still be a greater need than we can supply."
VCSU is partnering with UND’s Energy and Environmental Research Center on the project.