New partnership aims to decarbonise the cement industry

UK-based Nuada is accelerating its efforts to decarbonise the cement industry through a new partnership with four cement companies - Holcim, SCG, Cementos Argos and Cementos Molins.

The four companies will collaborate with Nuada to evaluate its next-generation carbon capture technology, a filtration system designed for point-source carbon capture that uses metal-organic frameworks (MOF) solid sorbent materials and operated via vacuum swing adsorption (VPSA), as a solution to delivering low-carbon cement. 

Using the technology, CO₂-rich flue gas is conditioned and routed to the carbon capture unit where carbon dioxide is selectively captured by the MOF filters. The lean flue gas returns to the stack to be released into the atmosphere. 

Once the MOF filters are suitably saturated, they are regenerated and using vacuum rather than heat release the CO₂ into a high-purity stream ready for downstream operations. During this regeneration, the CO₂-rich feed gas is diverted to another parallel column, providing continuous removal.

The new partnerships were facilitated through the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), complementing existing collaborations with Buzzi Unicem, Cementir Holding, and Heidelberg Materials, established through its Innovandi Open Challenge programme, which brings start-ups and leading cement companies together to work on net zero initiatives.

Carbon capture is a critical technology to help the cement industry achieve net zero by reducing unavoidable emissions from the heating of limestone during cement manufacturing.

While carbon capture is expected to account for more than a third of all the emission reductions needed, in line with the Global Cement and Concrete Association’s 2050 Net Zero Concrete Roadmap, the economics remain challenging due to the high capital cost of equipment and the energy intensity of available solutions.