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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Holcim and Air Liquide have announced a major collaboration to implement a large-scale carbon capture system at Holcim’s Obourg cementworks in Belgium, aiming for net-zero cement by 2029. Air Liquide and Holcim have sealed an agreement to advance a large-scale carbon capture installation at Holcim’s Obourg cementworks in Belgium, a key element of the company’s GO4ZERO decarbonisation programme. Under the arrangement, Air Liquide will provide oxygen for the plant’s oxyfuel‑ready clinker line and deploy its Cryocap™ OXY carbon capture and purification system, technology the company says can remove up to 95% of process CO₂. The arrangement envisages captured CO₂ ,…
The global market for nuclear reactor decommissioning is set to grow steadily, driven by ageing fleets, regulatory tightening, and technological innovations, with new fuel production licences signalling a shift towards supply chain resilience for advanced reactors. The global market for retiring nuclear reactors is entering a period of steady, technically driven expansion as ageing fleets, tighter regulation and fresh private capital reshape the economics of decommissioning and spent‑fuel management. According to a market analysis from DataM Intelligence, the nuclear reactor decommissioning market was valued at about US$76.5 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach roughly US$94.3 billion by 2031,…
The University of Chicago’s Centre for Organic Battery Innovation is pioneering a shift towards earth-abundant, safer, and potentially more sustainable organic batteries, aiming to disrupt the lithium-based industry amid rising demand and supply risks. The University of Chicago’s newly formed Center for Organic Battery Innovation (COBI) is mounting a concerted push to replace conventional lithium-based cells with solid‑state batteries constructed from earth‑abundant organic molecules, arguing the shift is necessary to address mounting safety, cost and supply‑chain risks associated with current chemistries. According to a media release published by the centre on 25 February 2026, COBI’s objective is to develop rechargeable…
A postponed EU legislation aimed at boosting clean manufacturing faces industry pressure to accelerate its launch, with debates over local content rules and market integrity intensifying among stakeholders. A major European metals trade body has urged the European Union not to postpone the launch of the bloc’s Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), warning that further slippage would undermine efforts to scale up clean manufacturing across strategic sectors. The Commission postponed publication of the IAA to 4 March 2026 after member states failed to reach an internal consensus on how far the legislation should require locally sourced inputs, according to Euronews. The…
Africa’s solar industry is entering a rapid expansion phase driven by policy reforms, falling costs, and rising demand, but faces major hurdles in financing, grid integration, and local manufacturing as it aims to transform its energy landscape by the end of the decade. Africa’s solar sector is entering a phase of rapid commercialisation that could reshape the continent’s energy mix and create new markets for decarbonisation technologies across industry, utilities and project finance. After a surge in 2025, policymakers, developers and equipment suppliers are positioning solar and battery systems as central to meeting rising power demand and improving energy security.…
Germany plans to declare hydrogen production projects of “overriding public interest” to fast-track approval processes, broadening the scope to include blue hydrogen amid concerns over slow progress and long-term decarbonisation targets. Germany is set to declare hydrogen production projects to be of “overriding public interest”, a legal escalation intended to speed approvals as the country confronts a widening gap between ambition and delivery on its hydrogen strategy. According to Tagesspiegel Background, the government has agreed to broaden the scope of the Hydrogen Acceleration Act to bring more projects under fast‑track treatment, a move that acknowledges the original roll‑out has been…
The Villum Foundation’s largest-ever grant launches a decade-long international initiative to radically reduce the carbon footprint of the global construction sector through innovative research, digital integration, and collaborative industry-practice transformation. The Villum Foundation’s decision to commit 1 billion Danish kroner to a decade-long research programme marks a major escalation in efforts to decarbonise the global construction sector. Launched on 1 January 2026, the Civil Engineering and the Green Transition in the Built Environment (CEBE) initiative sets out an integrated research agenda intended to tackle the full lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure , from material extraction and manufacture, through design and…
As EU industry ministers convene, divisions emerge over protectionist measures, funding priorities, and strategies to strengthen Europe’s heavy industry in the face of global competition and climate goals. EU industry ministers meet against a backdrop of intensifying debate over how Brussels should revive the bloc’s industrial base, with sharp divisions emerging over protectionist measures, competition policy and targeted support for heavy, energy‑intensive sectors. At the heart of the discussion are competing visions for competitiveness. According to the Financial Times, France has pushed for “Buy European” preferences in public procurement and state support to shield strategic industries, while several more liberal…
Achieving net zero in sectors like cement and steel hinges on integrating engineering, logistics, finance, and policy into comprehensive systems, moving beyond technological gimmicks to scalable solutions. Forget technological gimmicks: scaling carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) is principally a systems challenge , aligning engineering, logistics, finance and policy to manage the emissions of heavy industry. With the International Energy Agency identifying CCUS as a component of decarbonisation strategies, the debate has moved from whether the technology will be needed to how to deliver it across entire industrial value chains. Cement and steel exemplify the urgency. Cement manufacturing alone emits…
Glass Futures has achieved a significant milestone in decarbonising high‑temperature manufacturing, completing pilot trials of biofuels, electric boosting, and hydrogen, demonstrating their technical feasibility at industrial scale and shaping the future of sustainable glass production. Glass Futures has reported a major step forward in efforts to decarbonise high‑temperature manufacturing after completing a series of pilot trials that tested biofuels, electric boosting and hydrogen on its 30 tonnes‑per‑day line in St Helens, UK. The multi‑pathway campaign, which Glass Futures says began in October 2025, has, the organisation adds, proven the technical feasibility of several low‑carbon fuel routes at a scale close…
