Synhelion and Cemex scale up solar clinker to industrial level
Synhelion and the Mexican cement producer Cemex are recording further progress in the development of fully solar-powered cement plants. After a pilot project, they raised the production of clinker to an industrially usable level.
Synhelion, the global pioneer for sustainable solar fuels, had produced solar clinker for the first time in January 2022 with cement producer Cemex in a Spanish pilot plant. Now, according to an identical media release, the two companies have scaled up production to an industrial level.
In the process, solar receivers from Synhelion, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, use concentrated sunlight to generate temperatures of over 1500 degrees. This heats a gaseous heat transfer medium. In this way, the heat required to fuse limestone, clay and other materials together can be provided. In traditional clinker production, fossil fuels are used for the energy-intensive process, which are responsible for about 40 per cent of direct CO2 emissions. The goal of the cooperation between Synhelion and Cemex is to develop a completely solar-powered cement production.
The current stage of development is “an exciting milestone for all parties involved, achieved through the excellent collaboration between the Cemex and Synhelion teams,” Gianluca Ambrosetti, co-CEO and co-founder of Synhelion, is quoted as saying in the release. “Our technology can make an important contribution to the decarbonisation of cement production, and we look forward to further breakthrough achievements in this area.” Cemex CEO Fernando A. González adds, “The solid progress I see here proves that solar cement is not just a dream, but can be achieved through continued collaboration and rigorous research and testing.”