Air Liquide and Holcim to collaborate on a project to decarbonize cement production in Obourg, Belgium

Paris, France - Air Liquide and Holcim have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pursue a project to decarbonize Holcim’s new cement production plant under development in Belgium, using Air Liquide proprietary CryocapTM carbon capture innovative technology. In that regard, Air Liquide and Holcim have co-applied for the European Innovation Fund supporting framework. This partnership is an important step to accelerate the decarbonization of the industry in Belgium.

The new cement production plant announced will be replacing an existing asset. Thanks to Air Liquide’s unique carbon capture innovative technology, Holcim will be able to reduce emissions by up to 1.1 million tons per year of CO2. This partnership is part of GO4Zero, Holcim's investment program that will enable the company to achieve carbon neutrality in Belgium by the end of the decade.

Air Liquide will support this initiative by leveraging its know-how and unique expertise in CO2 capture technologies. Air Liquide intends to build and operate a unit of its innovative and proprietary CryocapTM Oxy technology to capture and purify up to 95% of the CO2 generated from Holcim’s production unit in Obourg. The captured CO2 will then be handled through Antwerp@C[1] CO2 Export Hub where it will be transported, liquefied and loaded onto CO2 ships for onward permanent and safe offshore storage.

The implementation of the project will be possible as public funding from European schemes supporting decarbonization becomes available. In this perspective, Air Liquide and Holcim have jointly applied for the European Innovation Fund, one of the world’s largest programs for promoting innovative low-carbon technologies.

Pascal Vinet, Senior Vice President and Executive Committee Member of the Air Liquide Group, supervising Europe Industries, said:

The decarbonization of the industry is at the heart of our ADVANCE strategy. We are committed to accompany our customers through providing a wide range of innovative solutions. As an example, Air Liquide's proprietary CryocapTM technology is particularly well suited to decarbonize the cement industry. This collaboration with Holcim illustrates our ability to work with our customers to significantly reduce their CO2 footprint and make the decarbonization of the industry a reality. In line with its sustainable development objectives, which include carbon neutrality by 2050, Air Liquide's ambition is to actively contribute to the emergence of a low-carbon industry.

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[1] Antwerp@C CO2 Export Hub is an open-access infrastructure to transport, liquefy and load CO2 onto ships in the Antwerp-Bruges port.