Catch4Climate Pure Oxyfuel plant officially inaugurated – a milestone for low-carbon cement

• Catch4Climate pioneering plant officially inaugurated in Mergelstetten, Germany

• World's first industrial-scale demonstration of thyssenkrupp Polysius' Pure Oxyfuel technology for cement production

• Groundbreaking technology enables capture of up to 95% of CO₂ emissions from the clinker production process

• thyssenkrupp Calvion takes over for further development, scale-up and commercialization

• Project marks a major milestone toward decarbonizing one of the world's most carbon-intensive industries

The CI4C (Cement Innovation for Climate) Pure Oxyfuel plant in Mergelstetten (state of Baden-Württemberg) has been officially inaugurated, marking a major milestone in the decarbonization of cement production. The pioneering facility was realized under the lead of thyssenkrupp Polysius, together with thyssenkrupp Calvion, in close collaboration with the CI4C consortium (Buzzi SpA - Dyckerhoff GmbH, Heidelberg Materials AG, SCHWENK Zement GmbH & Co. KG and Vicat S.A) and additional project partners. 

As part of the “catch4climate” initiative, the plant represents a semi-industrial-scale demonstration facility for carbon capture technologies in cement production. With an investment of more than €120 million and a dedicated kiln line with a capacity of around 450 tonnes of clinker per day, the installation provides an important platform for research, validation, and further development. At the core of the plant is the Pure Oxyfuel process from thyssenkrupp Calvion. 

“For the first time, Pure Oxyfuel is being demonstrated at industrial scale in a cement plant. This achievement reflects the dedication, expertise and pioneering spirit of everyone involved in the project. At thyssenkrupp Polysius, we are proud to have translated a bold vision into operational reality and to contribute a technology that can help transform one of the world’s most challenging industries to decarbonize,” said Christian Myland, CEO of thyssenkrupp Polysius. 

By replacing ambient air with pure oxygen in the clinker burning process, the technology significantly increases the CO₂ concentration in the exhaust gas, creating the conditions for capturing nearly 95% CO₂ emissions from cement production - including unavoidable process emissions from limestone calcination.  

thyssenkrupp Polysius led the overall engineering, plant design, and execution of the facility, successfully translating an innovative concept into industrial-scale reality. The Pure Oxyfuel technology developed and implemented within the CI4C project will be further advanced within thyssenkrupp Calvion, ensuring continuity and focused development beyond this milestone. 

With the transfer of the technology into thyssenkrupp Calvion’s portfolio, the focus is now on advancing, scaling, and commercializing Pure Oxyfuel solutions. Calvion will further develop the process to support carbon capture deployment across cement and other hard-to-abate industries. 

“This inauguration is much more than the opening of a pilot plant. It demonstrates that Pure Oxyfuel has reached industrial reality. The global cement industry has been eagerly awaiting this milestone, and we are proud that thyssenkrupp Calvion will now take the technology to the next stage - further developing, scaling and commercializing Pure Oxyfuel for customers around the world,” said Lukas Schoeneck, CEO of thyssenkrupp Calvion. 

Cement production is responsible for 8 percent of global CO₂ emissions and represents roughly one-quarter to just under one-third of direct industrial CO₂ emissions, particularly due to process-related emissions that cannot be avoided by conventional measures. Technologies like Pure Oxyfuel are therefore essential to achieving deep decarbonization in the sector. 

The inauguration of the CI4C plant underlines thyssenkrupp’s commitment to driving sustainable innovation and represents an important step toward climate-neutral cement production at scale.