Carbon Capture Agreement Targets Near-Zero Cement Production

Air Liquide and Holcim have signed a strategic agreement to develop a large-scale carbon capture solution for Holcim’s near-zero cement plant in Obourg, Belgium. The project integrates oxyfuel combustion and carbon capture technologies to significantly reduce process emissions from clinker production.

Oxyfuel Combustion and Cryogenic CO₂ Capture
Under the agreement, Air Liquide will supply oxygen for Holcim’s oxyfuel-ready clinker production line. In oxyfuel combustion, fuel is burned in an oxygen-rich environment instead of air, producing a flue gas stream with high CO₂ concentration. This facilitates more efficient separation and capture compared to conventional post-combustion processes.

Air Liquide will deploy its proprietary Cryocap™ OXY technology, which uses cryogenic separation techniques to capture CO₂ with high efficiency. The integration of oxygen supply and capture technology forms a coordinated process designed to minimize energy penalties and improve capture performance at industrial scale.

CO₂ Transport and Offshore Storage
The captured CO₂—targeted at approximately 1.1 million tons per year—is intended to be transported via pipeline to a CO₂ export hub, such as Antwerp@C. From there, the CO₂ would be shipped for permanent offshore storage in geological formations beneath the North Sea.

The transport and storage component is critical to completing the carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain. The project’s final investment decision (FID) remains conditional on additional partnerships across transport and storage infrastructure, as well as public-sector support for regulatory frameworks and risk-sharing mechanisms.

Contribution to Industrial Decarbonization
The initiative forms part of Holcim’s GO4ZERO investment program, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality in Belgium by the end of the decade. Cement production is responsible for significant process emissions due to the calcination of limestone, making CCS a key technology for achieving deep decarbonization in the sector.

By combining oxyfuel combustion with cryogenic CO₂ capture and planned offshore storage, the Obourg project is positioned as a large-scale near-zero cement production facility. The collaboration aligns with the European Union’s 2050 net-zero objective and demonstrates the role of integrated CCS solutions in reducing emissions from hard-to-abate industries.