The transition to non-fossil fuels is one of the key drivers for decarbonising cement production.
The production of cement clinker, the main component of cement, requires temperatures of 1450°C and thus a significant amount of fuel. For many years, Rohrdorfer has relied on alternative fuels in its cement plants to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Another potential contribution to decarbonisation is the use of hydrogen (H2) from renewable sources – so-called ‘green H2’ – as a fuel. H2 combustion in kiln operations is technically challenging and has not yet been extensively tested in the cement industry. To gain its own operational experience with this new energy source, the Rohrdorfer Net Zero Emission team has conducted a large scale H2 combustion test on the cement clinker kiln at the Gmunden site, Austria.
Unlike all conventional fuels, the combustion of H2 produces no CO2. As a result, CO2 emissions from the combustion process could be significantly reduced, depending on the proportion of H2 in the fuel mix. Since mid-2023, Rohrdorfer has therefore been conducting preparatory work for a pilot test. In early July 2026, preparations were completed, and the first H2 combustion test at an Austrian cement plant was carried out. Over two days of testing, part of the kiln’s heat output was covered by the co-firing of H2. During the test, the gaseous fuel proved to be fundamentally well-suited for use in cement clinker production. The H2 was supplied via truck trailers by Linde, a leading global industrial gas and engineering company, which developed a special mobile gas unloading station specifically for the trial.
Florian Wesenauer, Project Manager for the H2 trial at Rohrdorfer, commented: “With this trial, we want to demonstrate that the use of so-called green H2 is a potential decarbonised alternative in the fuel mix of the future. However, economic viability is not yet foreseeable; the costs for this H2 are currently still many times too high.”
When the price will drop to a competitive level depends on many factors and cannot be predicted at this time.
Wesenauer concluded: “Thanks to the test, however, we are well prepared and could begin the transition as soon as conditions allow.”