May 01, 2025
A consortium consisting of Cemex, a global leader in building materials, and Linde, a global leader in industrial gases and engineering, has been selected to receive €157 million from the Innovation Fund for a groundbreaking CO₂ capture project at Cemex’s cement plant in Rüdersdorf, Germany.
CO2LLECT is an innovative, large-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project that aims to deliver negative emissions at Germany’s largest cement plant in Rüdersdorf. It uses a proprietary adsorptive and cryogenic capture technology developed by a leading technology provider. After capture, the liquefied CO₂ will be temporarily stored and transported by rail to a CO₂ hub in northern Germany, from where it will be shipped to an offshore storage site in the North Sea. CO2LLECT is expected to result in a significant relative reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to a baseline scenario, contributing to carbon-negative cement production.
The project will implement an innovative system for optimizing the use of renewable fuels and capturing CO₂ emissions—marking the first commercial-scale deployment of this capture technology. Major advancements will be achieved in reducing electricity and water consumption in adsorptive and cryogenic separation processes. Cemex, the project coordinator, also plans to reduce fossil fuel use during combustion by injecting green hydrogen produced on-site via electrolysis. By integrating the capture unit into cement production, the project aims to maximize operational and energy efficiency while optimizing water usage in a water-scarce region. Over its first ten years of operation, the project is expected to avoid around 12.6 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions—comparable to the annual emissions of over 1.5 million single-person households.
The project aligns with several policy frameworks, including the European Green Deal, the Net-Zero Industry Act, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and the Just Transition. By supporting the market development for carbon-negative cement, it will contribute to the decarbonization of the construction sector and enable sustainable regional growth. Through the establishment of new CCS value chains, the project will drive demand for net-zero technologies made in Europe, thereby supporting the resilience of European supply chains.
CO2LLECT will help advance CO₂ infrastructure in Germany, demonstrating CO₂ rail transport and enabling synergies with local emitters. It will serve as a blueprint for remote locations without ports and create jobs in clean tech, engineering, and plant operations. The project supports industrial clustering, value chain development, and innovation, strengthening the economy while generating employment and collaborative opportunities. Its flexible and adaptable capture technology can be applied at industrial sites worldwide, leading to significant efficiency gains and cost reductions.