Cement, responsible for roughly 7% of global COâ‚‚ emissions, has long been one of the toughest industries to decarbonize. Yet a new EU-backed collaboration between Etex and Heidelberg Materials may signal a realistic pathway toward circular cement production.
The CEMLOOP XL project, co-funded by the EU LIFE Programme, combines advanced recycling with carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to demonstrate that circularity and carbon reduction can coexist at industrial scale.
At the core of the project is a plan to transform fibre cement waste into a secondary raw material capable of replacing clinker—the most carbon-intensive component of cement. If successful, the model could redefine waste management and materials efficiency across Europe’s construction sector.
Etex, a specialist in lightweight building materials, is leading the development of a new recycling process that converts production scrap and post-consumer fibre cement waste into recycled fibre cement paste (RFCP). The process, developed with engineering support from the Jacobs Group, enables recovery of valuable mineral components while minimizing the need for virgin raw materials. A dedicated recycling facility is now under construction in Hemiksem, Belgium, with commissioning expected by mid-2026. Once operational, it will process tens of thousands of tonnes of waste annually—turning what was once landfill-bound material into a valuable feedstock for low-carbon cement production.
At the same time, Heidelberg Materials is applying its CCUS expertise to close the chemical loop. Its Lixhe plant in Liège, one of the company’s flagship sites for low-carbon innovation, will integrate a carbonation reactor designed to infuse captured CO₂ from kiln exhaust gases into RFCP, converting it into carbonated RFCP (cRFCP). This process not only stabilizes the material but also restores its cementitious properties, allowing it to be reintroduced into production streams for new fibre cement products. The CEMLOOP XL system thus captures emissions at one end and locks carbon into new materials at the other—a practical demonstration of circular carbon utilization within a heavy industrial process. Heidelberg Materials expects to commission the carbonation reactor by 2028, by which point the full recycling-to-reuse loop could operate continuously between Hemiksem and Lixhe.
The projected benefits, verified under EU LIFE performance metrics, are substantial. The system is expected to prevent 60,000 tonnes of fibre cement waste from entering landfills each year, save 100,000 tonnes of limestone, reduce COâ‚‚ emissions by at least 20 percent, and lower total energy use by 15 percent compared with conventional fibre cement production. These figures align with EU Green Deal objectives to reduce industrial waste and decarbonize energy-intensive sectors through circularity and innovation.
For both partners, CEMLOOP XL represents a tangible step from theoretical circularity to industrial-scale material regeneration.
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