CO₂ Research Project “catch4climate” Officially Inaugurated
The “catch4climate” project launches the world’s first research facility for CO₂ capture using the Pure Oxyfuel process.
After seven years of planning and development, CI4C GmbH & Co. KG has officially inaugurated its new research and development facility in Mergelstetten, Germany.
The facility is the world’s first research site to apply the Pure Oxyfuel process for CO₂ capture in cement production. The project aims to demonstrate how the cement industry can capture CO₂ more efficiently and cost-effectively.
The initiative marks an important milestone in the decarbonization of the construction materials industry.
Four Partners Join Forces to Reduce CO₂
Buzzi SpA/Dyckerhoff GmbH, Heidelberg Materials AG, SCHWENK Zement GmbH & Co. KG, and Vicat S.A. founded CI4C in 2019.
Together, the four European cement manufacturers launched the “catch4climate” project. They invested more than €120 million in the facility.
The project includes a dedicated rotary kiln line at the Mergelstetten cement plant. The line has a clinker production capacity of 450 metric tons per day.
Importantly, the facility focuses exclusively on research and development. The partners also completed the project without public funding.
“The start of operations marks a special milestone for everyone involved,” said Jürgen Thormann, Technical Managing Director of CI4C GmbH & Co. KG.
He added that the project will generate valuable insights into CO₂ capture. It could also help advance climate protection across the cement industry.
Industry Leaders Attend Official Opening
Around 200 guests attended the inauguration. They represented politics, industry, associations, academia, media, and the four shareholder companies.
Baden-Württemberg Environment Minister Thekla Walker also attended the event.
The program featured expert presentations and discussions on industrial transformation. In addition, visitors explored a custom-designed cement tunnel.
The installation presented the history of cement as a building material. It covered the journey from Roman concrete to future climate-compatible cement production.
Testing the Pure Oxyfuel Process
Conventional combustion processes typically use air as their oxygen source. In contrast, the Pure Oxyfuel process replaces air with pure oxygen.
This approach produces a highly concentrated CO₂ stream. As a result, the process can make carbon capture considerably easier.
In the future, the captured CO₂ could either be stored or reused as a feedstock for other industrial processes.
The project team has already achieved several important milestones. At the end of May 2026, the facility successfully produced clinker for the first time.
Then, in mid-June, the facility received its first oxygen supply. The team also completed all objectives for its first operating campaign.
These achievements will support the next phase of testing and development.
Preparing Cement for Large-Scale CO₂ Capture
The project aims to establish the technical foundation for large-scale CO₂ capture in cement production.
Cement manufacturing generates process-related CO₂ emissions that cannot be eliminated through conventional efficiency measures alone. Therefore, carbon capture technologies will play an important role in the industry’s decarbonization efforts.
The knowledge gained through “catch4climate” will help researchers and manufacturers further develop these technologies.
Furthermore, the results could support wider adoption of CO₂ capture across the European cement industry. The project therefore represents an important step toward lower-carbon cement production.
