On 21 March, HERACLES, a partner in the AURORA project, was pleased to host its conference on “Transition to Zero Carbon” (see agenda below) in the auditorium of the Greek Technical Chamber, Magnesia Dpt. The event coincided with a visit by SINTEF and Aker Carbon Capture (ACC) teams to the Volos cement plant.
As part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission proposed in September 2020 to raise the target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. In addition, the European Union (EU) is aiming for climate neutrality by 2050, i.e. zero net greenhouse gas emissions.
By focusing on net greenhouse gas emissions and energy transition, Greece’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan implements a series of actions aimed at tackling the climate crisis by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Charalampos Kouris of HERACLES emphasized the company’s commitment to decarbonizing cement production. George Katerelos, the new director of the Volos plant, highlighted the use of “green cement” in major projects and announced that the plant will also install a large photovoltaic unit by the end of 2024.
The “Transition to Zero-carbon target” conference was aimed at the local authorities, engineers from local industries, university staff, students and journalists from the local media in attendance.
HERACLES’ medium-term objectives and short-term investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) at the Milaki cement plant in Evia (Greece) were presented by Vasilis Kaloidas (left) and Charalampos Kouris (right).
The Milaki investment of €320 million, partly funded by the EU Innovation Fund, is expected to cut 1 million tons of CO2 emissions annually and create 1,000 jobs. By 2028, the Volos plant will introduce ECOPlanetZERO cement with a zero carbon footprint.
Milaki cement plant in Evia, Greece
SINTEF’s Comprehensive Activities and the AURORA Project Overview
Karol Michalski from SINTEF
Ricardo Wanderley from Aker Carbon Capture (AURORA project parner) explained the operation and use of the mobile test unit (MTU), which is due to be installed at the Volos cement plant as part of the AURORA project.
Previous cement campaigns at the Brevic plant, energy considerations and steps towards the eventual commercialisation of CCS using CESAR1 amine solvents were discussed in detail.
A comprehensive presentation of SINTEF activities, an overview of the AURORA project, its specific objectives, and the measurement campaign in Greece were presented by Karol Michalski from SINTEF (AURORA project coordinator).
In addition, SINTEF conducted flue gas characterization at the HERACLES plant during their visit.
Ricardo Wanderley from Aker Carbon Capture
HERACLES‘ participation in nationally (CoCCUS) and European (OLYMPUS & AURORA) funded research projects.
HERACLES is investing €600 million to reduce its carbon footprint and enhance environmental protection. A major part of this investment is the “OLYMPUS” project, focusing initially on the Milaki plant and later on the Volos plant, where a pilot unit for achieving a zero-carbon balance will be established. This unit will guide future actions and investments in carbon capture and storage technologies.
OLYMPUS project
The OLYMPUS project aims to the green transformation of HERACLES Group’s cement production plant in Milaki, Evia, into a net zero carbon facility, utilizing innovative carbon capture and storage technologies (Carbon Capture Storage – CCS).
The investment focuses on cryogenic CCS to capture all of the plant’s CO2 emissions. The OLYMPUS project has received €124.5 million from the EU Innovation Fund, out of a total budget of more than €300 million.
The presentations were made by Nasos Koutsianos from the Chemical Processes and Energy Resources Institue (CPERI), and Konstantinos Rigkos from the Institute for Bio-innovation.
CoCCUS Project
To achieve its climate neutrality objective, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is funding the CoCCUS programme entitled “Cost-effective CO2 Capture and Utilization from magnesite/lime industry using enzyme boosted K2CO3 Solvents”
The CoCCUS project involves the development of an enzymatic process for CCS and the discovery and development of a carbonic anhydrase enzyme that can withstand temperatures higher than commercial temperatures (70°C).
As part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission proposed in September 2020 to increase the greenhouse gas emission reduction target in 2030 to at least 55% compared to 1990 levels.
Learn more about the event programme…
Who is the HERACLES Group?
HERACLES Group is a member of Holcim and holds a leading position in the Greek building materials industry.
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