CryoCEM: Austria’s first CO2 Capture and Storage Plant

Rohrdorfer and NZEL is building Austria’s first CO₂ recovery plant in the cement industry on an industrial scale. The project CryoCEM (Cryogenic CO₂ separation for Green CEMent) uniquely combines our efforts of designing, construction, commissioning and the operation of Austria´s first CO₂ capture plant in the cement industry. This new plant will capture a total amount of up to 30.000 tons of CO₂ per year at our Gmunden production site which will result in an annual production capacity of 50.000 tons of CO₂-free cement by 2026. 

Austria’s first plant for the recovery of carbon dioxide

Rohrdorfer sets a milestone in Austria with the first plant for the recovery of carbon dioxide (carbon capture) in the cement industry. Cryogenic gas separation is used to separate the carbon dioxide from the flue gas of the cement plant. It can then be stored (Carbon Capture and Storage) or converted into basic chemicals (Carbon Capture and Usage). Internally, preparations for CryoCEM have been in full swing for months. 

The CryoCEM project received an extra-ordinary CAPEX funding of 30 Mio € from the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility Innovation, and Technology, marking a significant step towards advancing sustainable decarbonization projects in the industry. With the visit by an official delegation consisting of Ms. Leonore Gewessler (Federal Climate Minister, Austria), Mr. Markus Achleitner (State Council for Economic Affairs Upper Austria) and Mr. Stefan Kaineder (State Council for Climate Affairs Upper Austria) in Gmunden on February 27^th 2024 the project was officially started. 

The plant & process technology gives the CryoCEM project a highly innovative character. The plant will operate with a cryogenic CO₂ separation concept,  resulting in highly purified CO2. The benefit of this technology is described in its high energy efficiency compared to existing and more established technologies like e.g. amine based CO₂ absorption. The plant will demonstrate the feasibility and high energy efficiency of that process concept on an industrial scale for the first time in Austria. 

The project plan foresees to start with a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) phase in 2024 followed by a construction phase 2025 until autumn 2026 and commissioning planned thereafter. 

Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler: „Today’s ground-breaking ceremony is an important milestone and is a great demonstration of how innovative and future-oriented our industry is. One fact is clear: we must do everything we can to avoid emissions and protect the climate. As the last alternative for unavoidable emissions, we need innovative plants like this. This means that climate-damaging CO₂ can be bound via the production process, as here in the cement industry, thus preventing our climate from being heated up further. With our federal funding program „Transformation of Industry“, we will continue to actively support the industry on its way to a green and climate-friendly future and thus make an important contribution to strengthening our business location and phasing out fossil fuels.“

Link: Rohrdorfer24.mp4 – pCloud

Spatenstich für Österreichs erste CO2-Rückgewinnungsanlage – Rohrdorfer

Credit Bilder: BMK/Cajetan Perwein