CEMEX, Sasol, and ENERTRAG have set up the concrete chemicals consortium to produce sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) from CO2 captured from a cement facility and hydrogen produced with renewable energy. The consortium is part of a series of efforts to turn CEMEX’s Rüdersdorf plant into the first-ever net-zero CO2 cement plant by 2030.

The consortium will source green hydrogen generated exclusively from wind and solar energy from ENERTRAG. The CO2 will come from CEMEX’s Rüdersdorf cement plant in Germany, which will provide 100 tons of CO2 per day in the project’s initial stages. Sasol ecoFT will then contribute its innovative technology to produce e-kerosene, which, once certified, can be blended to constitute up to 50% of jet fuel.

“We are excited to be part of this groundbreaking project that will contribute to the decarbonization of two of the world’s key industries,” said Fernando A. Gonzalez, CEO of CEMEX. “The path to carbon neutrality will be built with innovation, and we remain committed to being at the forefront in developing new circular technologies and processes.”

Sixty per cent of the carbon emissions in the cement production process come from the chemical reaction that occurs in cement kilns. To reach carbon neutrality, these emissions must be captured, stored, or repurposed in some way. CEMEX is leading the way in these technologies through partnerships with other industries, the work of its R&D center, and investments from its venture capital arm, CEMEX Ventures.

The Rüdersdorf carbon neutral alliance includes over 20 startups, universities, companies from other industries, and authorities working to develop industrial-scale solutions using leading-edge technologies to achieve the first carbon-neutral cement plant in the world.