Origen Completes Pre-FEED, Validating Path to Zero-Emission Lime Without Green Premium

March 18, 2026 — Origen today announced the successful completion of pre-Front End Engineering and Design (pre-FEED) for its commercial-scale facility to produce zero-emission lime, conducted by global engineering firm Hatch. This milestone confirms the technical robustness, commercial viability, and scalability of Origen’s technology platform, and positions the company to advance toward final site selection and detailed engineering for a first commercial deployment.

Origen's proprietary oxy-fuel kiln technology generates a uniquely pure CO₂ stream that cannot be replicated, making carbon capture an inherent feature of production rather than a costly add-on by eliminating the need for expensive post-combustion systems and downstream clean-up. Because all process CO₂ is captured directly at the kiln, the technology achieves a zero-emission outcome without dependence on scarce and costly renewable electricity to scale. Together, this provides a practical, economical, and industrially compatible pathway to decarbonizing one of the world's most emissions-intensive materials.

Pre-FEED is an early engineering phase used to evaluate design options and establish a reliable cost and performance baseline before moving into site-specific engineering and construction planning. This work provides Origen with third-party validated Class 4 capital cost estimates in the range of –20% / +35% for a facility producing up to 315,000 tonnes per year of zero-emission lime, materially reducing execution and investment risk. Hatch's analysis also projects economics to megatonne scale, independently validating Origen's confidence that costs decline materially as capacity grows.

The completed engineering confirms that zero-emission lime can be produced at prices competitive with conventional supply at first commercial scale. Origen’s advantage is enabled by the scalability of its proprietary oxy-fuel flash calciner architecture, which differs fundamentally from incumbent lime kiln technologies.  Origen also reduces deployment complexity through co-location at industrial clusters with existing CO₂ infrastructure and lime customers, while its zero-emission profile sidesteps the permitting complexity that has long made new conventional lime capacity difficult to bring online.

Importantly, Origen’s system does not rely on novel or unproven components. Instead, it integrates established industrial equipment in a configuration optimized for zero-emission lime production. Flash calciners are already widely deployed in cement, minerals processing, alumina, and metals industries, and the broader system leverages mature technologies supported by deep global supply chains. As a result, Origen can source major equipment from existing vendors rather than manufacturing bespoke components, reducing both cost and execution risk. Critically, this engineering foundation is backed by successful large-scale demonstration testing completed at the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) in 2025, the results of which inform the technical design basis for the pre-FEED.

As part of the pre-FEED, Hatch also completed a life-cycle assessment (LCA) of Origen’s lime production process. Conventional lime production emits over one tonne of CO₂ for every tonne of lime produced, driven by both chemical emissions from limestone and emissions from fuel combustion. In Origen’s process, 100% of kiln-related CO₂ emissions are captured as a pure stream ready for permanent sequestration underground. On a cradle-to-grave basis, including Scope 2 and 3, this represents a 90% reduction in emissions intensity compared to conventional industrial lime.

"Completing pre-FEED is a major inflection point for Origen," said Ben Riddle-Turner, CEO of Origen. "For the first time, we have third-party validated engineering and costs confirming that zero-emission lime can be delivered at prices competitive with conventional supply — with economics that improve as we scale. That removes the central objection to industrial decarbonization: that going green means paying more. We're building a solution that customers can adopt without a commercial trade-off, using supply chains and equipment that exist today."

“From an engineering standpoint, this project demonstrates a well-integrated application of established industrial technologies in a configuration purpose-built for zero-emission lime production,” said Gino de Villa, Global Director, Climate Tech at Hatch. “The pre-FEED work provides a strong technical and cost foundation to advance into the next phase of engineering.”

With pre-FEED complete, Origen is now preparing to down-select from several sites under evaluation and advance into Front End Engineering and Design (FEED), the detailed, site-specific engineering phase required prior to detailed engineering and construction.

This milestone comes at a pivotal moment for industrial decarbonization. Demand for low-carbon materials is accelerating as corporates — particularly hyperscalers and automakers — face increasing Scope 3 emissions pressure, while policy frameworks are tightening. Mechanisms such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) are beginning to place explicit carbon costs on emissions-intensive materials, with similar regulatory and market signals emerging globally. Together, these forces are driving urgent demand for scalable, credible solutions that can decarbonize foundational industrial inputs like lime.

With a demonstrated kiln, independently validated engineering and costs, established industrial supply chains, and a clear path to commercial execution, Origen believes its platform is among the most technically advanced and deployment-ready zero-emission lime solutions globally. This positions the company to play a leading role in decarbonizing one of the world’s most essential materials.

About Origen

Origen is a U.K.- and U.S.-based climate technology company building a limestone-based decarbonization platform anchored in zero-emission lime, an essential industrial material with unmatched potential to reduce emissions and remove carbon at scale. By integrating proven industrial processes with proprietary system design, Origen enables scalable, durable climate solutions that work with today’s infrastructure and supply chains. Origen’s mission is “The Atmosphere, Restored.”

For more information about Origen, visit www.origencarbon.com.

About Hatch

Hatch is a global engineering, project delivery, and professional services firm. With over six decades of business and technical experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, Hatch delivers innovative, integrated solutions to its clients’ most complex challenges. Drawing on a team of 10,000 professionals with experience in over 150 countries, Hatch is committed to creating positive change for its clients, employees, and the communities it serves.

Media Contact

David Ganske
pr@dgplusdesign.com