ECRA launches industrial-scale carbon capture project

Published by Jonathan Rowland, Editor
World Cement, Monday, 05 February 2018 08:56

The European cement industry has begun an industrial-scale demonstration project of technology that aims at optimising the cement kiln for carbon capture. The project will take place at two cement plants, one in Austria and one in Italy.

The project is part of the European Cement Research Academy’s (ECRA) long-term carbon capture research project and will test the potential for oxyfuel kilns. Oxyfual technology aims to increase the carbon dioxide concentration of the exhaust gas stream, aiding its capture. Similar technology has also been applied in the power industry.

“The technical feasibility of oxyfuel technology can only be proven in real-scale applications, but we have sufficient information from our research to believe that we will obtain a positive result after the trials,” said Daniel Gauthier, Chairman of ECRA.

The two plants involved in the trial are HeidelbergCement’s Colleferro plant in Italy and LafargeHolcim’s Retznei plant in Austria. The cost of the project is estimated to be around €80 million of which the cement industry has committed €25 million. Additional funding will be sought from European or national research schemes.

ECRA comprises cement producers, relevant equipment suppliers, and cement associations. Founded in 2003, ECRA is steered by a technical advisory board of representatives from major European cement producers.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/05022018/ecra-launches-industrial-scale-carbon-capture-project/

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