Catch4climate

 Capturing CO₂ with catch4climate

The top priority in climate protection is reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Since carbon dioxide is inevitably released during the calcination of limestone—the primary raw material used to produce cement clinker and, ultimately, cement—a climate-neutral cement industry can only be achieved in the long term if CO₂ can be captured and either utilized as a raw material or safely stored.

In 2019, the four European cement manufacturers Buzzi SpA – Dyckerhoff GmbH, Heidelberg Materials AG, SCHWENK Zement GmbH & Co. KG, and Vicat S.A. joined forces to establish the research company CI4C GmbH & Co. KG in order to jointly implement the “catch4climate” CO₂ capture project adjacent to the cement plant in Mergelstetten.

The research and development facility, for whose construction and operation more than €120 million is being invested, is the first to apply the so-called Pure Oxyfuel process for CO₂ capture. A dedicated rotary kiln line with a clinker production capacity of 450 metric tons per day is being built exclusively for research and development purposes.

The Pure Oxyfuel process (from “oxy” for oxygen and “fuel” for fuel) is a clinker-burning process in which pure oxygen is introduced into the kiln instead of air. This ensures heat generation through the combustion of conventional and alternative fuels without the presence of nitrogen from the air. As a result, the CO₂ concentration in the kiln exhaust gas increases to approximately 90%, significantly enhancing the potential for CO₂ capture. The goal is to capture 100% of a cement plant’s CO₂ emissions in a cost-efficient manner.

In addition, the project aims to establish the conditions necessary for the large-scale deployment of CO₂ capture technologies throughout the cement industry. The captured CO₂ can subsequently be utilized or permanently stored (CCU, CCS).

The research and development facility was officially inaugurated on July 8, 2026. Read more about it in our press release.

Further information is available on the official website: www.catch4climate.com.