Learn more about the Go4ECOPLanet project
CSS – a technology to capture and store CO2 – is a process that includes: capturing carbon dioxide emitted during the breakdown of calcium carbonate and magnesium, and during the combustion of fuels; transporting the liquefied gas to the storage location; and pumping the CO2 into the deep geological strata of the Earth for safe, long-term storage.
The Kujawy Cement Plant is the first zero-emission cement plant in Poland and one of the first in the world. Thanks to the Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet project, an installation will be built that will capture 100% of the CO2 emitted during the production of clinker, which is the basic component for cement production. In the span of 10 years, the installation will capture over 10 million tonnes of CO2, which is 10% of the total annual emissions of the cement sector in Poland.
The Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet project was launched in April 2022. All formalities necessary to begin the construction are planned to have been completed by the end of June 2024. By the same date, contracts for energy supply and transport services should be signed with key partners and subcontractors. The launch of the carbon capture installation is planned for 2027, and already during the first year of the installation’s operation CO2 emissions will be reduced by one million tons which accounts for 10% of the cement sector in Poland.
It is estimated that 39 new jobs will be created thanks to Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet, after the commissioning of the carbon capture and liquefaction plant. Naturally, hundreds of subcontractors’ employees will be involved during the design and implementation stages of the project, both from the region and from all over Poland and Europe. Additional jobs will be created in the companies that cooperate with Holcim in Poland, including jobs related to the supply of new materials, equipment and professional services, and the whole supply chain from the CO2 loading point to its storage location. It is worth emphasising that the project will not only create new jobs for its duration, but it will also allow Holcim (which already employs ca. 1600 people in Poland) to continue and expand its production of sustainable construction materials that support the decarbonisation of the construction sector.
The Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet project is not only completely safe but in fact beneficial for the natural environment. The carbon capture installation that will be built at the Kujawy Cement Plant will capture 100% of the CO2 emissions generated during the sintering of clinker, which is indispensable for the production of cement. Consequently, the facility will become a zero-emission plant, and it will not emit any CO2 during production from 2027 onwards.
The carbon capture installation at the Kujawy Cement Plant will be a set of buildings on the site, near the facilities currently used to produce cement. In addition, infrastructure to transport carbon dioxide by train to specially prepared locations will be built on site.
The installation will capture the carbon dioxide that is generated during the production of clinker as part of the cement manufacturing process at the Kujawy Cement Plant. At the same time, it will also capture the biogenic carbon dioxide emitted during the combustion of fuels that contain biomass. This will in effect capture 105% of the reported CO2 emissions according to the KOBIZE guidelines. However, it will not capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The installation will benefit the environment and the local community by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the plant by more than one million tonnes of CO2 per year.
The Kujawy Cement Plant will use Air Liquide’s cryogenic (i.e. freezing) technology called Cryocap™ FG, which will make it possible to eliminate all CO2 emissions caused by cement production as part of the Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet project. The CO2 reduction process of the Cryocap™ FG technology will start with the capture of carbon dioxide from the flue gases of the clinker kiln. This means that other substances will also be captured in the process. The carbon dioxide will then be separated from the other gases and liquefied at a low temperature in what is known as the cryogenic process. Using this method, 99.9% pure carbon dioxide can be captured. Condensates will be extracted from the remaining gas for reuse. The treatment of the condensates will generate water, which Holcim Poland will reuse during production, and sodium sulphate and nitrate compounds, which will be used in agriculture.
The liquified carbon dioxide will be loaded on specially adapted railway cars and transported to a transshipment facility at a seaport. From there, it will be shipped to the North Sea.
The CO2 will be stored on the seabed of the North Sea in dedicated caverns - empty spaces in the rocks left after the extraction of gas and oil deposits.
Carbon dioxide will be transported from the Kujawy Cement Plant to the seaport in the liquid state, by specially adapted trains. From there, it will be transported by ship to caverns (empty spaces left after oil and gas extraction) in the North Sea, where it will be stored.
Over 10 years, the CCS (carbon capture and storage) installation at the Kujawy Cement Plant will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 10 million tonnes, resulting in a 10% annual reduction in CO2 emissions in the entire cement sector in Poland. In the first year of its operation, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 1 million tonnes.
The Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet project can serve as a model for the decarbonisation of production processes in energy-intensive industries. Industrial-scale application of the Cryocap™ technology will make it possible to replicate this CCS technology in other branches of industry. CCS is being implemented in various sectors of the economy around the world, including the USA, China, Norway, France and the Netherlands. The Swiss Holcim Group, to which Holcim belongs, is currently implementing 20 pilot projects of this kind in various countries. According to the Global CCS Institute, almost 100 carbon capture and storage facilities were being built or in operation worldwide in late 2020. In total, they captured around 40 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
The Kujawy Go4ECOPlanet project is part of the sustainable development strategy at Holcim and Holcim Group, whose objectives include a comprehensive decarbonisation of industrial processes. Holcim Poland has developed a comprehensive Sustainable Development Strategy for Poland until 2030 and is pursuing the goal of reducing CO2 emissions to 350 kg per tonne of cement produced. These commitments will result in the implementation of further solutions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in production.
Carbon dioxide can be captured directly from the industrial source using a variety of methods, including absorption, adsorption, chemical looping, membrane gas separation and gas hydration. In the case of the Kujawy Cement Plant, Air Liquide's Cryocap™ FG cryogenic technology will be used, resulting in complete elimination of CO2 emissions.
Yes, the technology that will be used at the Kujawy Cement Plant can be replicated at smaller scale without any problems. It should also be emphasised that large scientific institutions and companies are conducting research to further develop carbon capture technologies. Pilot projects using various capture technologies are being carried out with the aim of applying CCS to manufacturing plants. Perhaps new technologies to implement CCS at small scale in an efficient and equally cost-effective manner will be developed in the near future.