Buzzi Unicen’s cement facility, which is based in Monselice, Italy, has provided Nuada’s pilot plant with the perfect opportunity to commence operations. The plant will now begin capturing CO2 emissions from the stack of Buzzi’s cement facility.

Buzzi is an Italian cement company with global operations and who has a goal of becoming Net Zero by 2050. Within this goal the company is also aiming to reduce its specific Scope 1 net emissions to less than 500kgCO2/t of cementitious product by 2030. It is due to these goals that Buzzi has decided to trial Nuada’s advanced carbon capture technology, as a way to help the company produce low-carbon cement. Nuada is a UK-based company and combining the companies’ respective skills, will help Buzzi to begin leading the way in cement industry decarbonisation.

This project is not only significant for the way it has advanced the carbon capture industry, but it also marks a milestone for carbon capture technology, when it comes to Nuada’s next-generation technology that is used within a cement manufacturing setting. These developments for the company can be seen through their development of an energy-efficient carbon capture solution. This solution has been created through combining advanced solid sorbents named Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) which involve a mature vacuum pressure swing absorption (VPSA) process. This electrically powered system works through separating CO2 from industrial flue gases by using pressure in the place of heat. By doing this, the system offers an excellent new and innovative approach, which will work towards overcoming the energy, cost and integration challenges which are normally associated with deploying traditional carbon capture solutions within the carbon capture industry.

Now that the plant has gone through major developments, it is fully functional and is currently able to capture one tonne of carbon dioxide every day from the cement flue gas. Furthermore, the project has gained support from the Global Concrete and Cement Association (GCCA) and it was through GCCA’s Innovandi Open Challenge programme that the project was initiated. This programme that the project is functioning off, focuses on fostering collaborations between major cement producers and innovative technology providers, who are all dedicated to decarbonising cement production. At the moment, the cement sector is responsible for 7% of global carbon emissions and these statistics, according to the GCCS’s Net Zero Roadmap, show that carbon capture is the primary decarbonisation strategy.

Co-CEO of Nuada, Dr. Conor Hamill, commented, "We are deploying the most energy-efficient carbon capture technology developed to date, a solution that redefines the decarbonisation landscape for hard-to-abate sectors like cement.”

Co-CEO of Nuada Dr. Jose Casaban, mentioned, "This plant demonstrates the robustness, scalability and game-changing benefits of our innovative capture system. Together with Buzzi, we are demonstrating the future of carbon capture in cement.”

CTO at Buzzi, Luigi Buzzi, added, "Our company has always been at the forefront of technology and search for innovative solutions. We are excited to host Nuada’s advanced carbon capture technology and start the pilot test campaign in Monselice: we look forward to confirm the high expectations that Nuada technology can play a leading role in the cement industry's decarbonization journey.”