go4zero project

GO4ZERO will deploy an innovative air-oxyfuel switchable kiln with carbon purification technology at Holcim’s cement plant in Obourg, Belgium. CO2 will then be sequestered under the North Sea. The project aims to be operational by 2029 and store around 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

In 2023, the project was selected for a grant from the EU Innovation Fund.

GROUNDBREAKING EVENT

With a groundbreaking ceremony held on May 16, 2024 at our Obourg, Belgium plant, Holcim officially kicked off its GO4ZERO project. 

Through a planned investment of over EUR 500 million, the GO4ZERO project - which transforms cement manufacturing at every stage of the process – is putting innovation to work to advance Europe’s decarbonization. 

The ceremony was attended by Belgian PM Alexander De Croo and European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra.

By advancing decarbonization as a driver of profitable growth, Holcim is on course to make net-zero cement and concrete a reality at scale this decade. GO4ZERO is one of our six large-scale, European Union-supported carbon capture, utilization and storage projects. These aim to capture a total of over 5 million tons of CO2 per annum, enabling us to offer over 8 million tons of fully decarbonized cement each year across Europe by 2030.

Miljan Gutovic| CEO Holcim

Video gallery

Image gallery

From left to right: Miljan Gutovic, CEO Holcim Group; Alexander De Croo, Belgian Prime Minister; Cédric de Meeûs, Head of Public Affairs & Government Relations at Holcim and Edelio Bermejo, Head of Innovation at Holcim

From left to right: Miljan Gutovic, CEO Holcim Group; Alexander De Croo, Belgian Prime Minister; Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Morgan Malecotte, CEO Holcim Belgium

Morgan Malecotte, CEO Holcim Belgium

Morgan Malecotte, CEO Holcim Belgium

From left to right: Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate Action;  Cédric de Meeûs, Head of Public Affairs & Government Relations at Holcim and Miljan Gutovic, CEO Holcim Group

Foundation stone of GO4ZERO CCUS plant

From left to right: Morgan Malecotte, CEO Holcim Belgium and Miljan Gutovic, CEO Holcim Group

From left to right: Audrey Rivet, Production Manager at Holcim Belgium; Morgan Malecotte, CEO Holcim Belgium; Miljan Gutovic, CEO Holcim Group; Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate Action; Alexander De Croo, Belgian Prime Minister and Vincent Michel; Program Director GO4ZERO at Holcim Belgium

go4zero at a glance

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Net zero by 2029

 
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Oxyfuel technology

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1.1 million tonnes CO2 captured annually

 
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EU Innovation Grant funding

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Air-oxyfuel switchable cement kiln

 
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Storage pathway

The technology behind the project

 

The project will be carried out in two phases. The first phase consists of replacing the current clinker kiln with a next-generation air-oxyfuel switchable kiln. This will enable a reduction in CO2 emissions of nearly 30% per tonne of clinker.

The second phase consists of capturing CO2 and implementing an innovative oxyfuel process using Air Liquide’s CryocapTM Oxy technology. 

The technology will purify CO2 generated from production in Obourg to above 99.5%. Captured CO2 will then be transported via Fluxys’ network to the Antwerp@C CO2 Export Hub where it will be liquified and shipped for storage under the North Sea.

“With GO4ZERO, we are developing a full carbon capture, transport and storage value chain with the goal to be producing net-zero cement by the end of the decade.”

Vincent Michel| Program Director GO4ZERO

More on Holcim's net-zero journey

The KOdeCO net zero project aims to make Holcim’s Koromačno plant the first to produce net-zero cement in Croatia and the Mediterranean.

OLYMPUS is a flagship project in Holcim’s European decarbonization roadmap. It will lead to the development of storage capacity in southern Europe.

The Carbon2Business project at our cement plant in Lägerdorf, Germany aims to capture more than 1.2 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Go4ECOPlanet will install a unique facility to capture 100% of CO₂ emissions generated during the production of clinker – the key ingredient in cement production.

eCapt-Rhône: Creating the first CO2 capture facility at a white cement plant

The eCapt-Rhône project uses renewable hydrogen production and CO2 captured from Holcim’s cement plant in Le Teil to generate e-methanol. 

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