In climate protection, the primary priority is the avoidance of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. As carbon dioxide is inevitably released during the calcination of limestone – the most important raw material for the binder cement – climate-neutral cement production can only be achieved in the long term if the CO₂ can be captured and either utilised as a raw material or stored. To address this challenge, the four European cement manufacturers Buzzi Unicem/Dyckerhoff, Heidelberg Materials - HeidelbergCement AG, SCHWENK Zement GmbH & Co. KG, and Vicat S.A. joined forces within the research company CI4C GmbH & Co. KG and jointly developed the CO₂ capture project “catch4climate”. Jürgen Thormann, Technical Managing Director of CI4C GmbH & Co. KG, recently announced an important milestone: “The project is now moving into the implementation phase, as after a permitting process lasting only seven months, we have received the environmental permit for our research and development facility at the cement plant site in Mergelstetten from the Stuttgart Regional Council. The facility, for whose construction and operation we will invest more than €120 million, will be the first to use the so-called Pure Oxyfuel process for CO₂ capture. To this end, a dedicated rotary kiln line with a production capacity of 450 tonnes per day is being built exclusively for research and development purposes.”

Ralf Hölscher, Commercial Managing Director of CI4C GmbH & Co. KG, added: “Many industries – including the production of fertilisers, fuels for long-haul aviation, and plastic-based hygienic medical products – have an urgent need for carbon. To date, this carbon has been obtained almost exclusively from fossil energy sources. In the future, we intend to use the CO₂ captured by our Pure Oxyfuel facility to produce so-called ‘reFuels’ – climate-friendly synthetic fuels, such as aviation kerosene – with the help of renewable energy.” In this area, the CI4C consortium works closely with the State of Baden-Württemberg. A corresponding Letter of Intent has already been signed jointly with the Minister-President and the Minister of Transport of the state. The commissioning of the CO₂ capture facility is planned for mid-2024.

Cover photo: Conné van d'Grachten

07.11.2022