The Obama administration on Friday awarded $21.6 million to a dozen companies seeking to capture carbon dioxide emissions from cement plants, chemical plants, oil refineries, paper mills and other industrial sources.

The U.S. Energy Department gave the most money to oil companies, including $3 million to Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)'s C6 Resources affiliate, and $3 million to ConocoPhillips (COP). It said that the money would be used for initial activities over a seven-month period. Projects with the best performance will be eligible for additional money for design, construction and operation.

The other recipients include Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (APD); Archer Daniels Midland Corp. (ADM); Cemex Inc. (CX); ; Praxair Inc.; Shell Chemical Capital Co; and Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative Inc.

-By Siobhan Hughes, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6654; Siobhan.Hughes@dowjones.com