SaltX invests in electric calcination demonstration facility

SaltXis is investing about SEK50m (US$4.8m) in an industrial electric calcination demonstration plant. This follows successful and verified tests for manufacturing climate-neutral lime and SMA Mineral’s pre-order of the first electric calcination factory.

Since autumn 2021 SaltX Technology has been conducting test operations for its electric calcination technology. In 2022 the company scaled up its operations to a pilot facility. After successful tests to produce climate-neutral lime and cement clinker, as well as several orders for material tests, the company is now building a large-scale industrial demonstration plant in Hofors, Sweden. The facility will be ready in autumn 2023.  

SaltX's EAC technology electrifies the calcination process to manufacture lime and cement clinker. The EAC technology replaces fossil fuels with renewable electricity and separates and isolates the CO₂ released from the limestone during high-temperature heating. The solution enables a manufacturing process completely free of CO₂ emissions.

Carl-Johan Linér, CEO of SaltX, said: "The facility will have a capacity of 2MW, which is 10-times higher than the previous pilot. This is an offensive investment for us and is a result of the market showing great interest in the potential of the technology." 

The demonstration facility will be built on Ovako's premises in Hofors in collaboration with ScanArc and ABB. Construction will start immediately.