Research in Action
Our advances in breakthrough technologies
Find out more on some of research projects and technology demonstrators of potential breakthrough technologies:
- Norcem CCS: CO2 capture demonstrator
- ECRA: oxyfuel project (gas CO2 enrichment for optimising CCS/U)
- CEMCAP: CO2 capture technology
- CLEANKER: CO2 capture using calcium loop processing
- LEILAC: direct CO2 separation
For novel cement, main ongoing research projects include:
- SOLID LIFE: novel non-hydraulic binder
- AETHER: less limestone, lower temperature, less energy cement
- CELITEMENT: innovative cement production process
- ECO BINDER: insulating concrete systems based on novel low CO2 binders
The ECRA CCS project aims at demonstrating oxyfuel technology, which uses pure oxygen instead of air in combination with flue gas recirculation in order to provide a high CO2 concentration exhaust gas stream for further capture in two pilot plants, in Austria (Retznei) and Italy (Colleferro).
The Norcem’s Brevik CCS project using post-combustion technologies, a tail-end separation of CO2 from flue gas, has recently received financial support from the Norwegian government.
CLEANKER is looking to advance the Calcium Looping (CaL) process for CO2 capture.The core activity of the project is the design, construction, and operation of a CaL demonstration system in the cement plant operated by Buzzi Unicem site in Vernasca (Italy). The CO2 from a portion of the flue gas of the cement plant is to captured. It can be then transported to a storage site or reused.
The cement sector is also joining up with the lime industry to focus on the development of Direct Separation technology, which seeks to re-engineer the process flows of a traditional calciners by indirectly heating the material being processed and hence separate the process emissions and enabling pure CO2 to be captured (LEILAC project).
The CEMCAP Project is a project funded by Horizon 2020. Its prime objective is to prepare the ground for large-scale implementation of CO2-capture in the European cement industry. Its focus is to demonstrate oxyfuel and post-combustion capture. In addition, a dedicated clinker cooler for oxyfuel cement plant will be designed and built.