COP29: Cemex recognized for solar clinker breakthrough
Award for company’s efforts to develop breakthrough decarbonization technologies for the cement industry
CEMEX have been awarded the Net-Zero Industries Award by Mission Innovation at a ceremony during COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, for their revolutionary clinker decarbonization process using concentrated solar power.
The Net-Zero Industries Award recognizes and celebrates outstanding innovations in industrial decarbonization; it spotlights the people and projects revolutionizing energy-intensive industries and driving substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Cemex’s solar clinker project is a collaboration with cleantech company Synhelion, who developed the high-temperature solar heat technology it uses.
‘Together with Synhelion, we are pioneering solar-powered clinker production, a breakthrough process that can contribute to decarbonizing cement manufacturing,’ said Davide Zampini, vice-president of global research and development at Cemex. ‘This award recognizes our vision of achieving net-zero CO2 emissions, as well as our passion for innovation.’
Gianluca Ambrosetti, co-chief executive officer and co-founder of Synhelion, said: ‘We congratulate Cemex on winning the Net-Zero Industries Award, which is testament to our shared vision to decarbonize cement manufacturing and pave the way for a more sustainable industry. The solar clinker project is an example of the transformative power of clean energy innovation in industrial processes.’
Cemex partnered with Synhelion in 2019 to reduce CO2 emissions in cement production. This collaboration led to a significant milestone in 2022 with the first successful production of solar clinker in a small-scale pilot.
Building on this success, the technology was scaled further in 2023 by enabling clinker production in a continuous manner over an extended period – a key milestone for implementing the technology at an industrial scale. Cemex and Synhelion are now advancing toward developing a solar-driven, industrial-scale pilot cement plant.
Mission Innovation is a global initiative to catalyze action and investment in research, development, and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive, and accessible to all in this decade.
