RHI Magnesita and MCi Carbon take a step closer to establishing the world's first CCU plant in the refractory industry in Austria.
Published by Alfie Lloyd-Perks,
Editorial Assistant
World Cement,
As part of the Australia-Austria Industrial Decarbonisation Demonstration Partnership Program, RHI Magnesita, MCi Carbon (MCi), the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) receive € 3.8 million in funding for the CCUPScale project.
The funding is provided by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund, supported by the Austrian Ministry for Climate Action, and the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). This project aims to further develop MCi Carbon's mineral carbonation technology and support RHI Magnesita's plans to build the world’s first Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) plant in the refractory industry in Hochfilzen, Austria.
Technological milestones for a CO2-negative future
Since 2023, RHI Magnesita, the global leader in the refractory industry, has invested millions of euros into the innovative Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) technology developed by the Australian clean-tech startup MCi Carbon. This technology aims to transform the refractory industry and neutralise CO2 emissions. With the €3.8 million in funding, key advancements such as raw material analyses, pre-demonstration trials, low carbon product development, process engineering for scaling, and industrial integrations can now be pursued. This marks a decisive step toward the construction of the world’s first CCU pilot plant for the refractory industry in Hochfilzen, Tyrol, which is planned to be operational at RHI Magnesita’s facility in 2028.
The plant will capture, convert, and utilise 50 000 t of CO2 annually to produce CO2-negative mineral value-added products.
RHI Magnesita plans to deploy MCi Carbon’s CCU technology to significantly reduce its Scope 1 emissions. "This funding approval shows that we are on the right track with this project. For industries with unavoidable emissions like ours, CO2 capture is currently the only viable path to achieve net-zero by 2050. However, we go one step further by not only capturing CO2 but also converting it into products that provide solutions for us and other hard-to-decarbonise sectors, such as the cement industry," explained Constantin Beelitz, Regional President Europe, CIS & Türkiye at RHI Magnesita.
“MCi Carbon is committed to advancing innovative, scalable solutions for decarbonising the world’s most challenging industries. RHI Magnesita is an excellent partner, investor and customer,” said Marcus Dawe, CEO of MCi Carbon.
Decarbonisation requires international collaboration
Austria’s Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler also emphasised the importance of the project: “This project demonstrates how innovation and international collaboration can help us achieve our climate goals. Initiatives like CCUpScale allow us to accelerate the transformation to a climate-neutral industry while advancing global solutions for CO2 utilisation.”
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Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/17012025/rhi-magnesita-and-mci-carbon-take-a-step-closer-to-establishing-the-worlds-first-ccu-plant-in-the-refractory-industry-in-austria/
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