Just over a year ago, Holcim Germany, thyssenkrupp Uhde and the Technical University of Berlin announced that they had partnered up to research the use of the latest amine scrubbing technology to capture the CO2 process gas at Holcim’s cement plant in Beckum. Having installed a first system module at the plant, the first test phase of the project is now beginning.
CO2 as commodity
The goal is to significantly reduce CO2 emissions from existing cement plants and at the same time prospectively utilize the captured CO2 for other applications. Until late 2025, the partners will be conducting small-scale tests of the promising technology which will potentially make an important contribution to the decarbonization of the cement industry in Germany. If the tests go as planned, the carbon capture and processing will produce high-purity CO2, which could then be supplied as a commodity to other industries or processed into other energy carriers such as methanol.
Over the test phase, continuous adjustments will be made and the test capacities expanded with the installation of a second system module with new, innovative processes. The performance and efficiency of these devices are being tested using real exhaust gas at Holcim's cement plant located in Beckum, Germany. With this process, the partners are seeking to make a contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases, especially in existing cement production plants. The aim is to retrofit the plants with devices for capturing CO2 from the process gas without having to make any further adjustments to the production process. The project is being funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action under the funding number 03EE5103A.
