Could the cement sector aid decarbonisation of aviation?

This week the ECO2Fly project offered an insight into how captured CO2 emissions from a cement plant could be reused in the production of synthetic aviation fuel (e-SAF). Holcim's Villaluenga de la Sagra plant is capturing CO2 for this project. Meanwhile, Europe is leading the way in pioneering this type of project with further trials being carried out at the Ruedersdorf and Schwenk plants in Germany as well as methane generation at Finnsementti Oy.

ECO₂Fly involves a partnership of Holcim, IGNIS P2X and Exolum. The Villaluenga de la Sagra plant in Toledo, Spain, is aiming to capture 0.7Mta of CO₂ and it will combine this with green hydrogen developed from renewable energy, which can then be converted into sustainable aviation fuel. The project could see 10,0000tpa of aviation fuel produced, but Holcim will still need to permanently store any remaining captured CO₂ in geological repositories. It is expected that the first decade of the ECO₂Fly project will reduce CO₂ emissions by 6.5Mt. However, the company is still waiting to submit a request for the European Union Innovation Funding in the next call-out, but global investment firm KKR has injected EUR400m to extend the timeline and scope of ECO₂Fly and the green initiatives of Ignis P2X. 

Ricardo de Pablos, CEO of Holcim España, said, “This strategic alliance between IGNIS P2X and Exolum represents a decisive step forward as part of our commitment to the transformation and decarbonisation of the industry. Not only are we making progress on reducing the carbon emissions of our own processes, but we are also driving a key innovation for construction in the form of cement with a total carbon reduction.” 

Additional carbon utilisation projects with cement industry input
There are further e-SAF projects under development that will involve the cement sector. The European Commission has granted a EUR350m grant to the company, Concrete Chemicals, to produce 30,000t e-SAF annually from 2028. Cemex's Rüdersdorf cement plant will supply the CO₂ which will be combined with hydrogen at the Rüdesdorf site to produce e-kerosene. Initially, the project has targeted 100t of captured CO₂ to combine with 12t of hydrogen produced at Rüdersdorf. In the second stage, larger quantities of hydrogen will be supplied by pipeline. The green hydrogen production is part of the ENERTRAG-IPCEI 'Electrolysis Corridor East Germany' project, which will have an electrolysis capacity of 210MW and 35,000t of e-Kerosene annually.

Meanwhile, Schwenk Zement, Stuttgart Airport and SkyNRG have teamed up in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, to aid the STRzero climate strategy. Stuttgart Airport is aiming to reach net zero emissions by 2040 and its STRzero plan involves working with Schwenk Zement’s Heidenheim-Mergelstetten plant and SkyNRG to produce 50,000tpa of e-SAF. The three partners are contributing EUR1m to the project which is targeting e-fuel production in 2028.

“For the cement industry, the project is of enormous importance, because the meaningful use of carbon dioxide from the exhaust air of cement plants as a raw material is a major contribution to climate protection,” said Thomas Spannagl, CEO of Schwenk Zement.

A third project is participated in by Finnsementti Oy’s plant in Lappeennranta, Finland. Started in 2019, the collaboration with the Kemira chemical plant in Joutseno aimed to produce 270,000tpa of synthetic methanol. Methanol can be used to create petrol, kerosence or diesel. Again, it is reliant on renewable energy to make electricity, hydrogen as a byproduct from the Kemira chemical plant and captured CO₂ from the Lappeennranta cement plant.

Taking carbon full circle
The collaborative nature of combining the aviation and cement sectors to produce sustainable aviation fuel could mark a significant step in the decarbonisation pathway for both hard-to-abate industries. It is an area where emerging technologies are likely to have an real impact on what can be achieved. The start-ups are reliant on funding and will have to compete against other decarbonisation technologies. However, by creating circular economies that convert cement plant emissions into green aviation fuel, there is potential for this technology to scale globally and help both industries progress toward net-zero emissions.