Calix and Heidelberg Materials sign JV for low emissions cement plant

Industrial technology company Calix’s subsidiary, Leilac Limited and German cement manufacturer Heidelberg Materials have formed a JV to build and operate the Leilac-2 low emission cement demonstration plant (pictured) at Heidelberg’ Ennigerloh facility in Germany.

Construction of the Leilac-2 plant, which utilises Calix’s externally heated kiln is expected to commence in 2025 with commissioning expected in mid-2026.

The Leilac-2 will demonstrate a replicable module to capture up to 100,000 tonnes per year of unavoidable process carbon dioxide emissions released during cement and lime production.

Leilac CEO Daniel Rennie said: “The rapid testing and implementation of state-of-the-art carbon capture technology is key to decarbonising the cement industry in Germany.”

The Leilac-2 project is backed by funding of €16m from the European Union’s Horizons 2020 programme and in kind contributions from partner cement companies.

Following construction of the plant, Heidelberg Materials may repay Leilac’s capital contribution to the project.

The two companies have also committed to explore the development of a full-scale commercial installation of the Leilac technology at a Heidelberg Materials plant.

Leilac-3 would be an up to five-fold increase in capture capacity, capturing between 0.5–1 million tonnes of unavoidable process CO2 emissions per year, depending on the size of the host plant.

Heidelberg Materials has signed a global licence agreement for the potential use of the Leilac technology at up to 150 Heidelberg Materials’ cement plants across five continents

Further reading:
New site chosen for Calix’s Leilac low emission cement plant
Calix kiln to be used to capture CO2 from the air

Picture: Calix/Leilac-2 low emission cement demonstration plant