Capturing Carbon Dioxide While Making Industrial Materials
This patent describes a system and method for capturing carbon dioxide released during industrial processes like making cement or steel, while also producing useful materials and recovering energy.
Original patent title: “Systems and methods for carbon capture”
This patent describes a system and method for capturing carbon dioxide released during industrial processes like making cement or steel, while also producing useful materials and recovering energy. Owned by 8 Rivers Capital with 25 claims and 6 forward citations, and it is expected to expire in 2042.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent outlines a system for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from processes that heat carbonate-containing raw materials, such as limestone. A reactor heats the raw material with an oxidant, creating a decomposition stream of solids and CO2 gas (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1). A separator then splits this stream into a gas stream (with CO2) and a solids stream. A heat exchange unit cools these streams, recovering energy. Finally, a CO2 separation unit purifies the cooled gas, creating a CO2-rich stream for capture and a CO2-lean stream. For example, this system can be integrated with a cement plant to capture CO2 released during clinker production (Claim 13) or with a steel-making plant (Claim 16).
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover carbon capture methods that do not involve heating a carbonate-containing raw material (calcination).
- Does not cover systems that capture CO2 from sources other than the decomposition stream, such as general combustion flue gases not from calcination.
- Does not cover systems that lack a dedicated heat exchange unit to cool the gas and solids streams for energy recovery.
- Does not cover systems where the CO2 is not separated into distinct 'lean' and 'rich' streams.
- Does not cover carbon capture processes that are not integrated with the production of industrially useful materials or power generation as described.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in tightly integrating carbon capture with the production of industrially useful materials, like cement clinker, and simultaneously recovering heat for power generation. This combined approach aims to make carbon capture more efficient and cost-effective by leveraging existing industrial processes and energy streams.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Cement manufacturing plants
Steel production facilities
Lime production facilities
Power generation plants using carbonate-containing fuels
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Industrial processes like cement and steel production are major sources of carbon dioxide emissions. This patent provides a way to integrate carbon capture directly into these processes, potentially making them more environmentally friendly. By recovering heat and producing useful materials alongside CO2 capture, it aims to make decarbonization more economically viable for heavy industry.
Filed
March 17, 2022
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
8 Rivers Capital LLC, the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, is actively developing and deploying carbon capture technologies, including their Allam-Fetvedt cycle, which focuses on clean energy production. Companies in heavy industry, such as cement and steel manufacturers, are also exploring similar integrated solutions to reduce their carbon footprint.
Market impact
This type of technology addresses a critical need for decarbonizing heavy industries, which are difficult to electrify. By offering an integrated solution for carbon capture alongside material production and energy recovery, it could enable these industries to meet stricter emissions regulations and continue operations in a carbon-constrained economy. It contributes to the growing market for industrial carbon capture solutions.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent outlines a system for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from processes that heat carbonate-containing raw materials, such as limestone. A reactor heats the raw material with an oxidant, creating a decomposition stream of solids and CO2 gas (Claim 1). A separator then splits this stream into a gas stream (with CO2) and a solids stream. A heat exchange unit cools these streams, recovering energy. Finally, a CO2 separation unit purifies the cooled gas, creating a CO2-rich stream for capture and a CO2-lean stream. For example, this system can be integrated with a cement plant to capture CO2 released during clinker production (Claim 13) or with a steel-making plant (Claim 16).
The clever bit
The novelty lies in tightly integrating carbon capture with the production of industrially useful materials, like cement clinker, and simultaneously recovering heat for power generation. This combined approach aims to make carbon capture more efficient and cost-effective by leveraging existing industrial processes and energy streams.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover carbon capture methods that do not involve heating a carbonate-containing raw material (calcination).
- Does not cover systems that capture CO2 from sources other than the decomposition stream, such as general combustion flue gases not from calcination.
- Does not cover systems that lack a dedicated heat exchange unit to cool the gas and solids streams for energy recovery.
- Does not cover systems where the CO2 is not separated into distinct 'lean' and 'rich' streams.
- Does not cover carbon capture processes that are not integrated with the production of industrially useful materials or power generation as described.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
17/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
17/20
Very broad protection
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$56K – $180K
Midpoint $112K · 15.5 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
25 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Forrest, B. A., Fetvedt, J. E., Lu, X., & Rafati, N. Capturing Carbon Dioxide While Making Industrial Materials (U.S. Patent No. 20,220,203,297). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20220203297/systems-and-methods-for-carbon-capture
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Capturing Carbon Dioxide While Making Industrial Materials cover?
This patent describes a system and method for capturing carbon dioxide released during industrial processes like making cement or steel, while also producing useful materials and recovering energy.
Who owns patent US 20220203297?
This patent is owned by 8 Rivers Capital.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on March 17, 2042, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 20220203297 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 6 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Industrial processes like cement and steel production are major sources of carbon dioxide emissions. This patent provides a way to integrate carbon capture directly into these processes, potentially making them more environmentally friendly. By recovering heat and producing useful materials alongside CO2 capture, it aims to make decarbonization more economically viable for heavy industry.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover carbon capture methods that do not involve heating a carbonate-containing raw material (calcination).
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