Cemex is building a biochar facility at its Rüdersdorf cement plant in Germany. The multinational cement producer has signed a joint venture agreement with recycling service provider ALBA to produce biochar, a carbon-neutral fuel derived from biomass. The use of biochar, alongside a planned carbon capture project on site, will allow the capture of biomass CO2 for storage and the production of sustainable aviation fuels.
The Rüdersdorf ALCE biochar plant will be the first of its kind in Europe in terms of size and capacity. This fully-automated facility will process and recycle organic waste into carbon-neutral alternative fuels, reducing the use of fossil fuels in cement production. Due to its potential to sequester CO2, Cemex is also testing the incorporation of biochar into its concrete mixtures to further reduce their carbon footprint.
"Rüdersdorf is one of the most modern cement plants in the world, and with this joint venture, we are making significant progress in transforming the plant into our first carbon-neutral cement facility by 2030," said Fernando A González, CEO of Cemex. "This joint venture is another important milestone in achieving our ambitious 2030 decarbonisation goals.”The ALCE plant is expected to begin operations at the end of 2026.
In 2023 alternative fuels accounted for 37 per cent of Cemex's fuel mix, setting a company record for the third consecutive year. Cemex's European plants have set the standard for alternative fuel consumption, reaching rates above 70 per cent in Czech Republic, Germany and the UK, and above 90 per cent in Poland.
This joint venture is part of Cemex's Future in Action programme to build a more sustainable, circular future, with the primary objective of becoming a net-zero CO2 company by 2050. Since the launch of Future in Action, the company has achieved record-breaking CO2 reductions.
