Heidelberg Materials UK has proven a zero concrete waste process at its Greenwich plant on the Thames, recovering aggregates for reuse and pairing concrete recycling with CarbonCure CO2-injection technology. Heidelberg Materials UK said it has proven a zero concrete waste process at its Greenwich plant on the River Thames, using…
Moët Hennessy and Verallia have launched a research partnership to develop lightweight glass bottles, cutting wine and spirits packaging weight by 30% to 50% to reduce the sector’s carbon footprint. Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of LVMH, and Verallia, Europe’s largest producer of glass packaging for food and…
Swedish cement technology company Cemvision and precast concrete manufacturer S:t Eriks have signed a partnership to bring near-zero carbon concrete to the Nordic and Baltic construction markets by 2028. Swedish cement technology firm Cemvision and precast concrete manufacturer S:t Eriks have signed a joint sales agreement to develop and commercialise…
Bulgaria’s glass packaging industry has launched a national Close the Glass Loop platform to raise collection for glass recycling, aiming to help meet the EU’s 90% target by 2030. Bulgaria’s glass packaging value chain has united to launch a new national platform for glass collection and recycling, joining a Europe-wide…
Calgary-based Cura has closed a $10 million USD funding round to expand its electrochemical low-carbon cement pilot with Grand Forks Concrete, a step toward commercial-scale production in Alberta. Calgary-based cleantech company Cura has closed a $10 million USD ($14 million CAD) funding round on 17 September, its second tranche, to…
The Hydrogen Council’s latest Hydrogen Compass report puts the global low-carbon hydrogen pipeline at $130 billion and 6.9 million tonnes a year, with ammonia the leading offtake. The Hydrogen Council said in its latest annual Hydrogen Compass report that the global low-carbon hydrogen project pipeline has grown to $130 billion…
EU member states agreed to expand free ETS allowances for energy-intensive industries from 2026 to 2030, aiming to protect steel, cement and chemicals producers from carbon leakage. EU member states have agreed to expand free ETS allowances for energy-intensive industries between 2026 and 2030, a move the Council of the…
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CAC Engineering’s pilot plant in Freiberg, Germany has produced 300,000 litres of synthetic gasoline, showing its power-to-liquids process can run reliably over a sustained period. A pilot plant in Freiberg, Germany has produced 300,000 litres of synthetic gasoline, a threshold its developer says demonstrates that its power-to-liquids process can run reliably over a sustained period rather than only in short bursts. The facility, run by CAC Engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, uses the company’s METHAFUEL technology to convert e-methanol into synthetic gasoline through the DeCarTrans research programme. Reaching 300,000 litres of cumulative output matters because continuous, reliable operation, rather than…
NEDO and four Japanese partners achieved 85% ammonia co-firing in a full-scale naphtha cracking furnace, a step towards decarbonising petrochemical production without a full plant redesign. A Japanese consortium has achieved an 85% ammonia co-firing rate across a full-scale naphtha cracking furnace, a milestone the group says clears one of the toughest technical barriers to decarbonising petrochemical production. NEDO, Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, ran the demonstration together with Mitsui Chemicals, Maruzen Petrochemical, Toyo Engineering and Sojitz Machinery, testing a furnace fitted with a newly developed ammonia-fired burner. The 85% figure covers the entire furnace on a…
Mission Possible Partnership has published guardrails for mass balance claims, aiming to help buyers judge which accounting systems for low-carbon steel, cement and chemicals deserve their trust. Mission Possible Partnership has published a framework for assessing mass balance claims, aiming to stop the accounting method used across steel, cement, chemicals, aluminium and aviation supply chains from undermining trust in low-emission products. The report, titled “Principles and Guardrails for Credible Mass Balance Claims”, sets out what MPP calls a due-diligence tool for buyers, producers and standard setters to judge whether a given mass balance system deserves confidence. Section 6 of the…
Kanin Energy raised $100 million from S2G Investments and Canada Growth Fund to expand waste heat recovery across cement, steel, refining and gas plants, cutting costs and emissions. Kanin Energy has raised $100 million in new equity to expand waste heat recovery projects across North American cement, steel, refining and gas facilities, the Calgary-based developer said on 17 September. S2G Investments led the round with a $50 million commitment, matched by a further $50 million from Canada Growth Fund. Kanin, founded in 2020, converts heat that would otherwise vent from industrial processes into electricity, and says up to 58% of…
ENEOS Holdings used AI catalyst discovery from Matlantis and NVIDIA to screen 100 million candidate materials for hydrogen electrolysis, cutting a years-long search to just months. ENEOS Holdings has used AI catalyst discovery to screen around 100 million candidate materials for hydrogen electrolysis, cutting a search that once took years down to a few months, Matlantis and NVIDIA said on 17 September. The Japanese energy group combined Matlantis PFP, a general-purpose machine learning interatomic potential, with NVIDIA ALCHEMI, an accelerated computing platform for chemistry and materials workloads. Together the two systems let ENEOS evaluate huge numbers of candidate structures for…
Aircapture and NGK have commissioned a direct air capture unit at AIZAWA Concrete’s Fukushima site, testing NGK ceramic substrates in commercial conditions and looking at concrete mineralisation as an outlet for the captured gas. Aircapture and NGK Corporation have started a joint direct air capture demonstration at AIZAWA Concrete Corporation’s…
Durham University researchers put the hydrogen storage potential of depleted North Sea oil and gas fields at 3,659 terawatt-hours, enough to take conventional gas power stations off the British grid by 2040. Depleted oil and gas fields in the North Sea could hold 3,659 terawatt-hours of hydrogen, more than seven…
Carbon capture developer Mantel has raised $18 million from Constellation Technology Ventures and Azimut Investments, taking total funding to $50 million as it moves molten borate capture into power, pulp and oil and gas projects. Mantel has raised $18 million from Constellation Technology Ventures, Azimut Investments and existing investors to…
Japan’s trade ministry has asked for JPY 1.26 trillion in its fiscal 2027 budget request for green transformation, more than double this year’s allocation, with electric arc furnace conversion and green steel procurement in the frame. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has requested JPY 1.26 trillion ($7.88 billion)…
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BMW’s Car2Car consortium has shown that additional sorting can strip copper from end-of-life vehicle scrap well enough to make flat steel for cars, with more than 100,000 series parts already built and installed. High-quality material loops are technically feasible in the automotive industry, and copper-bearing impurities in steel scrap can be reduced notably, BMW said after completing its Car2Car research project with partners, EUROMETAL reported on 27 August. The project focused on steel, aluminium and copper, and also considered other materials including glass. BMW’s consortium included Scholz Recycling, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe and Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung, alongside academic partners such as…
UNEP says copper demand will rise more than 40% by 2040 while mined output peaks around 2030, leaving a projected shortfall of 6.5 million tonnes within the next five years. Demand for copper will rise more than 40% by 2040 while mined production is expected to peak around 2030 and then flatten or decline, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. The projection appears in a UNEP article published on 27 August on securing the materials the energy transition needs. Copper carries electrification. Electric vehicles use up to four times as much of it as traditional combustion engines, and it…
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Europe has committed nearly €200 billion to EV manufacturing, batteries, and infrastructure, with policy shifts potentially threatening the sector’s accelerated growth and industrial strategy. Europe’s electric-vehicle build-out has reached a scale that now makes policy, not technology, the decisive variable. New Automotive data, reported by Reuters, shows that countries across the European Economic Area and Switzerland have committed almost €200 billion, or about $235 billion, to EV manufacturing, batteries, charging and supply chains. The figure underscores how closely the sector is tied to industrial strategy, energy security and the bloc’s climate rules. (b975.com) The largest share of that capital has…
Despite the complexity and data challenges, leading companies are evolving Scope 3 from a reporting obligation into a vital management process, focusing on supplier engagement and operational change to meet decarbonisation goals. For many US companies, the bulk of their climate footprint sits outside the factory gate, in the suppliers, products, logistics networks and customer behaviour that make up Scope 3. In sectors such as retail, technology and manufacturing, those value-chain emissions can account for more than 70% of the total, and in some retail cases they may reach as high as 98%, according to McKinsey. That makes Scope 3…
SaltX Technology and Holcim make a significant stride towards fully electric cement manufacturing, producing Portland-quality clinker without fossil fuels in a fully electrified process for the first time. SaltX Technology and Holcim say they have taken a significant step towards all-electric cement production after repeatedly making Portland-quality clinker in a fully electrified process. According to the companies, Holcim supplied raw meal that was first calcined at SaltX’s test and research centre in Hofors, Sweden, before being processed in SaltX’s newly developed Electric Clinker Reactor. The work replaces the conventional fossil fuel kiln route, with the firms saying the clinker met…
African solar imports from China soared by 48% in 2025, signalling a rapid shift towards cleaner energy, but highlighting the region’s dependence on imports and the need to develop local manufacturing capacities. Africa’s solar market is moving from marginal to material. Ember’s analysis, published in its Global Electricity Review 2026 and reported by Semafor, shows Chinese exports of solar panels to the continent rose to 18.8GW in 2025, up from 12.7GW in 2024, a jump of 48%. (semafor.com) The shift reflects two forces at once: falling module prices and China’s need to absorb more supply in overseas markets. Ember says…
A new survey reveals UK investors are expanding their focus to include a wider range of low-carbon technologies, signalling a shift as the energy transition matures and funding diversifies beyond CCS. Carbon capture and storage continues to dominate the low-carbon investment landscape, but a new survey suggests UK investors are beginning to spread their bets across a broader range of technologies as the energy transition enters a more mature phase. Law firm Pinsent Masons, which polled 964 venture capital investors and technology developers globally, found that 99% of UK respondents had already backed or developed a CCS project. Even so,…
Sasol has achieved a milestone in African refining by obtaining sustainability certification for its Natref refinery, marking a significant step towards decarbonising its operations and strengthening its position in low-carbon markets. Sasol has secured a notable first for African refining after Natref obtained product sustainability certification for renewable fuel pathways, while its Secunda Operations also gained certification for sustainable chemicals production. The certification followed an on-site final audit by TÜV SÜD under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus scheme, commonly known as ISCC+. According to Sasol, the approval covers sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel made through co-processing of…
Shell’s €1.17bn Holland Hydrogen 1 project in Rotterdam is close to becoming Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plant, aiming to supply low-carbon fuel to heavy industry and accelerate the continent’s green energy transition. Shell is close to bringing online Holland Hydrogen 1, a €1.17bn project on Rotterdam’s reclaimed Maasvlakte 2 industrial zone that is being positioned as a showcase for renewable hydrogen in heavy industry. Once operational, the 200MW plant is expected to be Europe’s largest of its kind and to supply low-carbon hydrogen into a nearby industrial cluster, with Shell framing the project as a practical test of how clean…
The solar industry experienced a significant surge in funding and deal activity in early 2026, with corporate financing reaching $15.45 billion and project acquisitions hitting a new high, driven by policy clarity and strong demand. Solar funding and deal-making strengthened sharply in the first quarter of 2026, with Mercom Capital Group saying the sector secured $15.45 billion in corporate financing as debt lending climbed to its highest level in more than a decade. According to the US research firm, debt financing totalled $12.39 billion across 28 transactions, accounting for the clear bulk of capital raised between January and March. Venture…
Canada plans a comprehensive nuclear overhaul by 2026, aiming to expand domestic capacity, boost exports, and position itself as a key player in the global clean energy transition amidst rising demand for low-carbon solutions. Canada is moving to place nuclear power at the centre of its industrial and climate strategy, with Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson saying in April that the federal government will set out a new nuclear energy plan by the end of 2026. The strategy, announced at the Canadian Nuclear Association conference, is intended to build on the country’s long-standing strengths in CANDU technology, uranium…
A new analysis suggests that investing in wind and solar power yields greater climate and public health benefits than direct air capture, highlighting a strategic shift in decarbonisation efforts. A new study suggests that, for now, the cleaner climate bet is to build out more wind and solar rather than pour scarce capital into direct air capture, a technology that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere but remains expensive and energy-intensive. Published in Communications Sustainability, the analysis assessed the climate and health returns of spending the same amount of money on renewable generation or on direct air capture across 22…
