Limak Cement successfully completes hydrogen tests

Limak Cement, and Air Liquide have successfully tested the first hydrogen-blended fuel supply at Limak Cement plant in Ankara. After these extremely promising trials, Limak Cement continues its efforts to lead the Turkish cement industry within the scope of decarbonisation road map targets.

Limak Cement aims at increasing the overall usage of high biogenic content alternative fuels and renewable energy by 2030 and has teamed up with Air Liquide to develop hydrogen application. In the test phase carried out at Limak Cement's Polatli Anka plant in the course of June, hydrogen was successfully injected in the preheating tower enabling an overall 50 per cent thermal substitution rate from alternative fuels. “As such, this application is a first of its kind in Türkiye and we believe, worldwide as it feeds low-carbon hydrogen in conjunction with alternative fuels to the inlet of the precalciner instead of the cement rotary kiln main burner,” claims Limak Cement.

Adopting the technology in this lighthouse project at Anka cement plant when the application is used permanently would reduce 180,000tpa of CO₂ emissions upfront compared to the use of coal. Using the same high biogenic fuel mix in all Limak cement plants, will reduce 700,000tpa in CO₂ emissions.

Touching on the contributions of the project and the company's goals at the event held after the successful trial, Limak Cement Global CEO, Erkam Kocakerim, said: “The purpose of this investment is to experience safe and effective use technologies of hydrogen in our cement kilns and to increase the rate of alternative fuel substitution. We aim to operate the kilns in our seven integrated cement plants with a low-carbon fuel mix between 2030 and 2035. I believe that this trial is of great importance as it is the first in the Turkish cement industry and the positive results will contribute to the rapid development of the hydrogen ecosystem in our country. Because in a successful low carbon hydrogen ecosystem, the supply-demand cycle and scale are as important as production technology. Our project on hydrogen technologies will continue with new phases.” 

Air Liquide Türkiye General Manager, Souhel Bousta, added: “We are pleased to accompany Limak Cement in their decarbonisation journey. We are convinced hydrogen will play a key role in the transformation of energy and industry, and it will take partnerships such as this one to develop the whole ecosystem.”