Transforming CO2 into added-value construction products

The European Green Deal sets ambitious targets to GHG emission reductions for the process industry, that can only partly be reached by the transition to renewable energy. Residual, hard-to-abate CO2 emissions from industrial processes such as steel and cement production will need to be captured, and wherever possible, processed and recycled into new products. The shift towards low carbon processes may disrupt existing industrial symbiosis pathways. If no alternative linkages are developed, this may lead to increasing emissions in downstream sectors. The transitions in steel and energy production lead to dwindling supplies of low carbon resources for cement production such as blast furnace slag and coal fly ash. The core concept of Carbon4Minerals addresses the simultaneous use of CO2 from industrial flue gases with current and future waste streams to unlock a vast stock of resources for innovative low carbon binders and construction materials (80-135% lower CO2-emissions than reference). A total of 8 industrial pilots will be built and operated across the process value chain from CO2 capture to cement production and low carbon construction products. This cross-sectorial innovation has the potential to reduce European CO2 emissions by 46 Mt/y, equal to 10% of the EU process industry emissions, while safeguarding the competitiveness of the European industry. A consortium of technology providers, producers and research partners will develop, test and demonstrate the processes. Technical, environmental and economic feasibility will be validated by an integrated assessment, in combination with the development of a service life test package tailored to these new products. Co-learning modules are developed to support industrial implementation and market introduction.