Microwave Cement Production With Zero CO2 Emissions

In Quebec, cement production represents ~16% of Quebec's industrial GHG emissions, i.e. 3.9 Mtéq. CO₂ in 2019 (MELCC, 2021). While these emissions are considerable, decarbonizing Portland cement production is a major challenge. On the one hand, we need to eliminate the fossil fuels used for heating up to 1450°C, which enables limestone decarbonation and cement clinkerization (~35% of emissions). On the other hand, the CO₂ released by limestone decarbonation needs to be captured from a low-concentration effluent and sequestered (65% of emissions).

The proposed project aims to develop a method for producing Portland cement with zero CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere, using microwave technology. The approach is to electrify the process on an industrial scale, enabling: (a) the replacement of fossil fuels with hydroelectric power and (b) the production of a compressed CO₂ off-gas for sequestration (in the absence of combustion, the off-gas is virtually pure in CO₂). Since the microwave cement will be a Portland cement meeting Canadian standards, it can be rapidly adopted by the industry.

The spin-offs for Pyrowave are a unique intellectual property enabling it to commercialize a technology targeting a global market of over 300 billion USD and generating around 3 Gt CO₂ eq. annually. The spin-offs for Quebec are economic, through the development of a Quebec company, and environmental, with a potential reduction of up to 3.9 Mt CO₂ eq. annually.