Groundbreaking held at world’s first carbon-neutral cement plant

In Germany, recently the offficial groundbreaking ceremony was held for the world’s first carbon-neutral cement plant. Large-scale industrial use of the “pure oxyfuel” technology from thyssenkrupp will be used to produce cement while capturing around 1.2 million tons of CO2 a year. The plant is set for commissioning in 2028.

The basic principle of the “pure oxyfuel” technology developed by thyssenkrupp is to separate off CO2 from the exhaust gases of cement factories in a kiln system and thus prevent it from being released into the atmosphere. To enable that, pure oxygen is used in the combustion process instead of ambient air. As a result, almost 100 percent of CO2 emissions from cement clinker production can be captured. The separated process gas is then processed into high-purity CO2 and can subsequently be used as a starting material in the chemical industry or as a raw material in other industries, or alternatively it can be stored. At the new Holcim plant in Lägerdorf, this process will be able to cut CO2 emissions by around 1.2 million tons a year. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned in 2028.

The “pure oxyfuel” technology has been developed by thyssenkrupp Polysius, one of four business units of thyssenkrupp Decarbon Technologies. In this segment, the Group pools key technologies and services for reducing CO2 for industrial customers. The product portfolio ranges from components and systems for the wind industry, ammonia and ammonia cracking plants, to large-scale water electrolysis technology and solutions for decarbonizing the cement industry.