Three Weeks After the Inauguration: First Successful CO₂ Capture at catch4climate

Just a few weeks ago, the research and development plant of the catch4climate project in Mergelstetten was officially inaugurated. During the event, Jürgen Thormann, Technical Managing Director of CI4C GmbH & Co. KG, expressed his confidence in the technology’s potential and summed it up in his speech with the words: “Oxyfuel will succeed.”

Just two weeks later, a major project achievement confirmed this assessment. Following the operation of the kiln in oxyfuel mode with 100% oxygen supply on 22 July 2026, the project team achieved the first capture of high-purity CO₂ as dry ice in the downstream Carbon Purification Unit (CPU) the very next day.

This demonstrated the functionality of CO₂ capture under oxyfuel conditions. The achievement marks an important step in the further development of the Pure Oxyfuel process. At the same time, the result marks the successful completion of the second test campaign and provides valuable insights for the continued research and development of CO₂ capture technologies in the cement industry.

Our sincere thanks go to the entire project team and all partner companies whose commitment, expertise, and excellent teamwork made this achievement possible.

Our short film of the plant inauguration offers exciting insights into the event and the project itself. The fact that the first successful CO₂ capture was achieved just a few weeks later makes this milestone even more remarkable.

About CI4C

The four European cement manufacturers Buzzi SpA/Dyckerhoff GmbH, Heidelberg Materials AG, SCHWENK Zement GmbH & Co. KG, and Vicat S.A. joined forces in 2019 to establish the research company CI4C GmbH & Co. KG. Their shared goal: to realize the CO₂ capture project “catch4climate” at SCHWENK’s cement plant in Mergelstetten. The new facility, representing an investment of more than €120 million, is the first to employ the Pure Oxyfuel process for CO₂ capture, which was developed by thyssenkrupp Polysius. For this purpose, a dedicated rotary kiln line with a clinker production capacity of 450 metric tons per day has been built exclusively for research and development. The project was implemented without the use of public funding.