The building materials company is linking up in the alliance with a number of industrial consortiums to develop industrial-scale demonstration projects utilising ground-breaking technologies. The initiative aspires to achieve carbon neutrality at the Rüdersdorf plant by 2030.
Several technologies are being evaluated including waste heat recovery, carbon capture and transformation into building materials, synthetic fuels, green hydrocarbons, and hydrogen production with renewable energy. The alliance is part of CEMEX's Future in Action programme.
"It is expected that CO2 will be further processed to convert to new forms of energy and materials for use locally by industrial, residential, and transport sectors," said Stefan Schmorleiz, plant manager and managing director of CEMEX Zement. "Together with our partners, we will take feasibility studies through to economic solutions to decarbonising cement production."
CEMEX says the technological learnings derived from the Rüdersdorf "Carbon Neutral Alliance" should gradually be shared with its global portfolio of cement plants and adapted to local conditions to accelerate its decarbonisation goals of the cement production process. CEMEX is also applying to several European funds, such as the Innovation Fund & Green Deal Call, and national funding schemes for financial support and funding for these innovations, potentially providing best practices to other industrial players.
Aligned to the vision of the European Commission's Green Deal and climate aspirations, CEMEX set out its vision for carbon neutrality last year.
"Having already achieved a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions from 1990, 10 years ahead of the original target, our aspiration now moves to accelerate towards 55% by 2030 in Europe and to deliver carbon neutral concrete globally by 2050," said Sergio Menendez, president of CEMEX Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia.
