This week, kiln electrification has seen positive developments with the ELECTRA project while SaltX and Coolbrook are taking the next step in evolving this type of technology to a more viable solution for cement decarbonisation.
Heidelberg Materials announced that the EU-funded ELECTRA project was successfully tested in what is claimed to be the first plasma-heated cement kiln in Sweden. This innovative technology enables clinker production with plasma, eliminating fuel-related CO2 emissions and simplifying the carbon capture process.
The ELECTRA process develops electrically heated cement, lime and lime mud production in a kiln that can reach temperatures of 2000°C. The exciting element is the modularity of the technology and the possibility of running various hybrid modes in a transition period, lowering initial capital expenditure. The technology can be created for existing and greenfield installations. Different applications require different properties for the product, therefore variations of electrically heated processes are created.
Developed by VTT in Jyväskylä Finland from 2024, ELECTRA aims to achieve a 90 per cent reduction in CO2 in cement production, while cutting fossil fuel use by millions of tonnes. Other ELECTRA partners are Heidelberg Materials, Lhoist, Stora Enso AB, Humboldt Wedag GmbH , Universitetet Sorost-Norge, SINTEF, Chalmers Tekniska Högskola AB, Umeå Universitet, Andritz OY, Kanthal AB, ABB, Sumitomo SHI FW Engergia OY and Advanced Minerals, Recycling Industrial Solutions IKE, Innovation Engineering SRL and Suite5 Data Intelligence Solutions Ltd.
SaltX makes a key alliance
Other electrification competitors are also making headway. SaltX has signed a Letter of Intent to jointly develop the next generation of fully electrified production plants with thyssenkrupp Polysius. SaltX’s patented Electric Arc Calciner (EAC) technology will be part of thyssenkrupp Polysius’ green system solutions package.
The technology is also being used in the steel sector with SMA Mineral, which has already produced a significant volume of high-quality quicklime at the Hofors test and research facility. The primary objectives of producing high material quality and degree of calcination reactivity and extended operational running times, while maintaining material quality were achieved in February 2025. In specific test runs, SaltX claims that a calcination rate of 99 per cent was obtained.
“In 2022, we verified our solution at our initial pilot plant. Now, we have demonstrated that the technology is scalable, which is a significant achievement and something I take great pride in,” said Lars Croon, SaltX’s CTO.
The demonstration plant for SaltX will be an 8MW facility, producing 120tpd of quicklime, in northern Norway, in cooperation with SMA Mineral. The vision is to achieve commercial production of in 100MW plants with an output of 1500tpd of quicklime and cement by 2030.
Coolbrook focusses on scalability
India appears to be the testbed for another Finnish start-up, Coolbrook. Its RotoDynamic Heater™ technology will be employed JSW Group, which has a strategic cooperation agreement with Coolbrook's electrification technology. The manufacturing site is at the Vijayangar Works in Karnataka, India.
Meanwhile, this month, Ambuja Cements formed a strategic partnership which will allow Coolbrook to demonstrate the scalability of the technology. The RotoDynamic Heater™ has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 per cent in heavy industries and is capable of reaching temperatures of 1700°C without fossil fuels. Coolbrook see the technology being implemented in clay calcination, as a cement kiln precalciner and in white cement production, where RDH is capable of heating the combustion air feed to the kiln enabling a 50 per cent decrease in fossil fuels and an increase in production capacity of 25 per cent.
Which of these technologies becomes the standard bearer for electrification in the cement sector is difficult to tell. It is an open race for financial and partner backing to get to commercial operation. It's possible that more than one of the technologies could become widely adopted, once technical and financial viability are proven. We are at the cusp of a greener cement sector and electrification is one of the solutions that appears to be well backed and is expected to succeed.