CEMEX partners on sustainable aviation fuel

The Mexico-based building materials group has joined forces with integrated chemicals and energy firm Sasol ecoFT and renewable energy company Enertrag in a project that will combine CO2 with hydrogen to produce the sustainable aviation fuel.

The project is part of CEMEX's Future in Action programme to reduce its carbon footprint and contribute to a circular economy and an integral component of CEMEX’s master plan to develop a carbon neutral operation at its Rüdersdorf cement plant by 2030.

The consortium will source green hydrogen generated exclusively from wind and solar energy from Enertrag. The CO2 will come from CEMEX’s Rüdersdorf cement plant in Germany, which will provide 100 tons of CO2 per day in the project’s initial stages. Sasol ecoFT will then contribute its technology to produce e-kerosene, which, once certified, can be blended to constitute up to 50% of jet fuel.

“We are excited to be part of this groundbreaking project that will contribute to the decarbonisation of two of the world’s key industries,” says CEMEX CEO Fernando Gonzalez. “The path to carbon neutrality will be built with innovation, and we remain committed to being at the forefront in developing new circular technologies and processes.”

CEMEX says that 60% of the carbon emissions in the cement production process come from the chemical reaction that occurs in cement kilns. To reach carbon neutrality, these emissions must be captured, stored, or repurposed in some way.

The Rüdersdorf carbon neutral alliance includes over 20 startups, universities, companies from other industries, and authorities working to develop industrial-scale solutions using leading-edge technologies to achieve the first carbon-neutral cement plant in the world.