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CARBON-NEGATIVE CEMENT: A TRIBOLOGICAL SOLUTION FOR LIMESTONE DECARBONATION, SILICATION AND CARBON UTILIZATION

Project description

A solution for sustainable cement production

The construction sector has a major carbon footprint, with cement production being a key contributor due to CO₂ emissions from limestone. To tackle this, the EIC-funded CILANTRO project is developing a groundbreaking solution to eliminate CO₂ emissions from raw materials in cement production. It uses direct tribochemical hydrogenolysis of limestone, assisted by tribocatalysis, to produce essential cement components without emitting CO₂. This process bypasses the need for costly CO₂ capture and utilisation while generating compounds usable in organic synthesis. A triboreactor will be developed to scale up this innovative method, paving the way for sustainable cement manufacturing.

Objective

The CILANTRO technology offers a groundbreaking solution to reducing the carbon footprint associated with traditional cement production. CILANTRO introduces non-thermal, Direct Tribochemical Hydrogenolysis (DTCH) of calcium carbonate with silica yielding no CO2 emission and producing solid (CaO)nSiO2 (where n = 1,2,3) - the essential component of Ordinary Portland Cement. This innovative approach significantly deviates from current practices by bypassing the high-temperature steps of the conventional production process, which are fueled by fossil fuels, such as limestone calcination and clinkerization. It also co-produce CO which is the resource of synthetic fuels and offers another benefit to reducing carbon footprint. The key DTCH reaction design utilizes free-radical intermediates generated by rubbing/shearing of limestone and sand without heating, followed by in situ reduction of carbonate with H2. To suppress the competitive reactions which can lead to undesired minor CO2 emission DTCH procedure and parameters will be analyzed by laboratory measurements and computer simulations at different levels. To carry out the DTCH at scale, CILANTRO aims to design a new well-controlled tribo-reactor having a mechanical principle similar to the existing comminution mills in cement plants. It is expected that CILANTRO technology can be easily scaled up and employed as a new asset. By using electricity and H2 from renewable sources, the whole cement production process can be carbon-neutral. Given the natural/accelerated carbonation of concrete fabricated from CILANTRO binders the cement can achieve significant net CO2 sink over the concrete lifecycle. CILANTRO is compatible with other approaches and processes addressed within the portfolio such as combination with supplementary cementitious materials, carbonation curing, and increasing binder efficiency.

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HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC Grants

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2024-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01

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Coordinator

AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 090 929,50
Address
CALLE SERRANO 117
28006 MADRID
Spain

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Region
Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid
Activity type
Research Organisations
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Participants (6)

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