Heidelberg Materials has plans to equip the Antoing plant of the company’s Belgian subsidiary, CBR, with an innovative hybrid carbon capture unit.
The hybrid carbon capture unit will combine the Oxyfuel and Amine capture technologies in a second-generation set-up.
Once operational, the the carbon capture system is set to capture around 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ from the cement production process annually.
Antoing is a state-of-the-art cement plant which was recently modernised and is ready to be used for the project with no further need for modification.
The innovative second-generation OxyCal concept combines the established Oxyfuel and Amine capture technology in a hybrid unit that no longer requires an additional preheater tower, that is set to be a key contributor to lowering emissions, as Dr Dominik von Achten, Chairman of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Materials spoke on.
“We are excited to add yet another pioneering technology to our CCUS project portfolio, and to build on what we have already achieved in terms of research and innovation,” von Achten said.
“From the Antoing plant alone, we will be able to offer more than 15 million tonnes of carbon-free cement to the construction market in the first ten years of operation.
“This is a key contribution to Belgium’s transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.”
With its geographical location more than 100 kilometres from the coast, Antoing would be the first inland cement plant in Western Europe to supply carbon-free cement.
This means a significant reduction in the need for structural steel and concrete, which considerably improves the resource efficiency of the system.
Once operational, the project will reduce CO₂ emissions from Antoing by more than 97 per cent, equaling around 800,000 tonnes of captured CO₂ annually.
While the project will be focusing on the carbon capture process, collaborations are planned to establish with various partners to transport and store the captured carbon, with the aim of creating a complete CO₂ value chain.
In order to support the construction of the capture unit, the company will seek national, regional, and EU funding.
For more information, visit the Heidelberg Materials website.