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Using electrification to cut cement’s carbon footprint
A groundbreaking research project aims to create advanced electric heating technologies that could dramatically reduce carbon emissions from cement production. The Innovation Fund will invest almost DKK21 million in the project, which will run from 1 September 2024 to 29 February 2028.
Cement production is one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2), responsible for more than 4% of Denmark’s annual emissions and 7% to 8% globally. Much of this CO2 stems from the decomposition of limestone into calcium oxide and CO2 during the initial stages of cement production, known as calcination.
A new research project targets these emissions by commercialising new electric limestone calcination technologies compatible with large-scale carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS). The proposed solutions will support Denmark’s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy and position the country as a world leader in renewable energy and net-zero industrial processes.
Christopher Ashworth, President of FLSmidth Cement
The two targeted electric calcination technologies deliver process heat via infrared or inductive heating. The precise process and temperature control offered by electric heating delivers consistent clinker quality, a critical cement component. This ensures superior cement properties and satisfies the stringent quality demands of global construction standards and customer expectations, essential requirements for any new cement production process.
Exploring both heating options at the prototype level is the anticipated next task in this funded project. The work facilitates creation of a possible pathway for further exploration at a pilot plant.
The project is a collaboration between FLSmidth Cement (project manager and commercialisation partner), the Danish Technological Institute (DTI), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Aalborg University (AAU), Cementos Argos, and European Energy (EE).
Steering committee
- Maja Kofod Dam-Jensen (IFD)
- Jens Christiansen (DTI)
- Kiranmai Sanagavarapu (FLSmidth Cement)
- Shanmugam Perumal (FLSmidth Cement)
- Sven Eckert (HZDR)
- Soren Knudsen Kaer (EE)
- Lasse Rosendahl (AAU)
- Daniel Duque (Cementos Argos)
Facts
- Innovation Fund investment: DKK 20.9 million
- Total Budget: DKK 27.9 million
- Duration 3.5 years
- Official title: ECem Electric Calciner Technologies for Cement Plants of the Future