Catch4Climate Pure Oxyfuel Plant Opens in Germany to Advance Low-Carbon Cement Production

Catch4Climate Pure Oxyfuel Plant Opens in Germany to Advance Low-Carbon Cement Production

(IN BRIEF) The CI4C Pure Oxyfuel plant in Mergelstetten, Germany, has been officially inaugurated as part of the Catch4Climate initiative. The facility is the world’s first industrial-scale demonstration of thyssenkrupp Polysius’ Pure Oxyfuel technology for cement production and has a capacity of around 450 tonnes of clinker per day. The technology replaces ambient air with pure oxygen in the clinker burning process, increasing CO₂ concentration in the exhaust gas and enabling the capture of up to 95% of emissions from cement production, including unavoidable process emissions from limestone calcination. thyssenkrupp Polysius led engineering, plant design and execution of the facility, while thyssenkrupp Calvion will now take over further development, scale-up and commercialisation. The project was developed with the CI4C consortium, including Buzzi SpA/Dyckerhoff GmbH, Heidelberg Materials AG, SCHWENK Zement GmbH & Co. KG and Vicat S.A., and represents a major step toward low-carbon cement production.

(PRESS RELEASE) ESSEN, 10-Jul-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The CI4C Pure Oxyfuel plant in Mergelstetten, Baden-Württemberg, has been officially inaugurated, marking a significant milestone in efforts to decarbonise cement production.

The facility forms part of the Catch4Climate initiative and is the world’s first industrial-scale demonstration of thyssenkrupp Polysius’ Pure Oxyfuel technology for cement manufacturing. The technology is designed to enable the capture of up to 95% of CO₂ emissions from the clinker production process.

Developed in close cooperation with the CI4C consortium, the project brings together Buzzi SpA/Dyckerhoff GmbH, Heidelberg Materials AG, SCHWENK Zement GmbH & Co. KG and Vicat S.A., alongside thyssenkrupp Polysius, thyssenkrupp Calvion and additional project partners.

The plant has a capacity of around 450 tonnes of clinker per day and will serve as a research and development platform for carbon capture technologies in cement production. It will support the validation, optimisation and further development of Pure Oxyfuel technology under industrial conditions.

Christian Myland, Chief Executive Officer of thyssenkrupp Polysius, said the inauguration demonstrates the progress made in bringing the technology from concept to operational reality.

“For the first time, Pure Oxyfuel is being demonstrated at industrial scale in a cement plant,” said Myland. “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.”

The Pure Oxyfuel process replaces ambient air with pure oxygen during clinker burning. This significantly increases the concentration of CO₂ in the exhaust gas, creating the conditions for the capture of nearly 95% of CO₂ emissions from cement production.

The process is particularly important because it can address both fuel-related emissions and unavoidable process emissions generated during limestone calcination, one of the main challenges in decarbonising cement manufacturing.

thyssenkrupp Polysius was responsible for the overall engineering, plant design and execution of the facility, helping turn the Pure Oxyfuel concept into an industrial-scale installation.

Following the inauguration, thyssenkrupp Calvion will take over further development, scale-up and commercialisation of the technology. The transfer of Pure Oxyfuel into Calvion’s portfolio is intended to ensure continuity and support broader deployment across cement production and other hard-to-abate industries.

Lukas Schoeneck, Chief Executive Officer of thyssenkrupp Calvion, said the opening represents more than the launch of a pilot facility.

“This inauguration is much more than the opening of a pilot plant,” said Schoeneck. “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.”

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

Media Contact:

thyssenkrupp Calvion GmbH
Hannah Berse
Neubeckumer Straße 127
59820 Ennigerloh

thyssenkrupp Polysius
Rhena Schluck
Head of Marketing and Communications
Graf-Galen-Straße 17
59269 Beckum
Phone:+49 2525 993362
Mobile:+491742640233
rhena.schluck@thyssenkrupp.com

SOURCE: thyssenkrupp