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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Industry experts warn that the rapid rise of biofuel use in commercial shipping necessitates stronger procurement controls and testing regimes to navigate diverse feedstocks and regulatory hurdles, as the sector moves towards deeper decarbonisation. Shipowners turning to biofuels to meet tightening climate rules must strengthen procurement controls and testing regimes, industry experts warn, as blends and novel feedstocks move from niche to mainstream. A white paper produced by NorthStandard with supplier World Fuel and testing agency Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) maps the acceleration of biofuel use in commercial shipping and the practical risks this creates. According to the paper, routine…
The UK’s latest CfD auction awarded 8.4 GW of capacity, marking a pivotal moment for offshore wind development and the nation’s 2030 clean-power ambitions, with notable industrial and technological implications. The UK’s latest Contracts for Difference auction, Allocation Round 7, delivered a decisive boost to the country’s offshore wind programme, awarding 8.4 gigawatts of capacity and reopening a path to the government’s 2030 clean-power ambitions. The volume secured represents a substantial jump in procurement and, according to the Department for Energy and Net Zero, is enough to meet the electricity needs of roughly 12 million homes when the wind is…
A white paper proposes linking factories to offshore geological storage in Portugal, with plans for a 660-kilometre pipeline network and significant economic and environmental benefits, as government and industry prepare for large-scale decarbonisation. Portugal is weighing a major infrastructure bet to safeguard the competitiveness of its most emissions-intensive industries by linking factories to offshore geological storage for CO2, according to a white paper produced by the Portuguese Cement Association (ATIC) with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The study, titled “Portugal’s Carbon Link – White Paper”, sets out a national carbon capture and storage (CCS) network that would gather emissions from…
Despite significant progress in reducing emissions since 2000, European industrial sectors face a slowing momentum and mounting societal costs. A new briefing highlights the need for transformative reforms in manufacturing processes to further cut pollution and enhance economic resilience. Emissions from Europe’s most energy-intensive manufacturing sectors have fallen substantially since the turn of the century, but momentum has slowed and the societal price of pollution remains large, according to a new briefing by the European Environment Agency. The analysis argues that deeper restructuring of industrial processes , not only incremental technology upgrades , will be necessary to push emissions and…
Germany has approved nearly €1.3 billion in public funding to accelerate Salzgitter’s shift from blast-furnace to hydrogen-based steel production, aiming for full decarbonisation by 2033 amid economic and regulatory challenges. Germany has moved to shore up the financing for the decarbonisation of Salzgitter’s steel operations, approving additional state support that brings total public backing for the project closer to €1.3 billion and aims to accelerate a shift from blast-furnace production to hydrogen-based, low‑CO2 methods. According to Hydrogen Central, Berlin authorised a further €322 million to plug a shortfall after earlier plans under the EU’s Important Projects of Common European Interest…
China’s electric-vehicle sector hit a milestone with nearly 147,000 battery swaps in a single day during Spring Festival, signalling a maturing infrastructure that caters to both private and commercial drivers and offers new opportunities for grid integration and global expansion. China’s electric-vehicle sector demonstrated the operational scale of battery-swapping services in mid-February, as providers completed roughly 146,649 exchanges in a single day during the nation’s Spring Festival travel peak. The volume, reported by industry participants and covered by automotive press, highlights how swapping networks have matured into high-throughput infrastructure that supports both private motorists and commercial fleets. According to NIO,…
A new report by Aurora Energy Research reveals a strategic pivot in Europe’s battery market, focusing on flexibility and multi-hour capacity to meet system demands, with Germany, Great Britain and Italy leading the way amid policy and infrastructural changes. Europe’s battery landscape is shifting from a race for capacity to a contest for flexibility, with investors increasingly favouring markets where storage can monetise multi-hour grid balancing rather than only fast-response ancillary services. According to Aurora Energy Research’s fifth European Battery Markets Attractiveness Report, Germany, Great Britain and Italy top the rankings among 28 countries assessed, reflecting where system strain and…
European vehicle registration data reveals a dramatic shift towards battery-electric models over the past decade, with EVs surpassing petrol cars and diesel losing ground amid increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers. New vehicle registrations across the European Union have undergone a marked reconfiguration over the past decade, with diesel powertrains contracting sharply as battery-electric models make rapid inroads, according to Eurostat’s January 2025 release of Key figures on European transport. Eurostat’s time series for 20 member states, which together represented 93 per cent of new passenger car registrations in 2024, shows diesel-powered cars, including diesel hybrids, declined by roughly two-thirds between…
The European Environment Agency’s new briefing reveals that adopting circular economy practices could reduce Europe’s greenhouse‑gas emissions by roughly one third, with significant sector-specific opportunities and a pressing need for policy integration. A new briefing by the European Environment Agency (EEA) synthesises evidence from 131 studies and modelling exercises to quantify how circular economy practices could shrink greenhouse‑gas emissions across Europe. The agency’s review finds substantial, though highly variable, mitigation opportunities from strategies that limit waste, extend product life, boost recycling and reuse, substitute materials and shift consumption patterns. According to the EEA briefing, the mean emission reduction estimated across…
GB Railfreight partners with HyOrc to assess conversion of ageing diesel locomotives into hydrogen-capable units, offering a low-cost, staged route towards greener freight operations amid regulatory and funding challenges. GB Railfreight has opened a pathway to converting ageing diesel traction to hydrogen-capable propulsion through a memorandum of understanding with US clean-energy developer HyOrc, a move aimed at decarbonising non-electrified freight routes without immediate fleet replacement. Known as Project Phoenix, the non-binding agreement establishes a feasibility study to evaluate whether an existing freight locomotive’s diesel prime mover can be removed and replaced with HyOrc’s multi‑fuel generator set, scaled from the company’s…
