Cemex secured the Net-Zero Industries Award by Mission Innovation during COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, for its revolutionary clinker decarbonization process using concentrated solar power.
Cemex partnered with cleantech company Synhelion in 2019 to reduce CO₂ emissions in cement production. This collaboration led to a significant milestone in 2022 with the first successful production of solar clinker in a small-scale pilot.
Building on this success, the technology was scaled further in 2023 by enabling clinker production in a continuous manner over an extended period – a key milestone for implementing the technology at an industrial scale. Cemex and Synhelion are advancing toward developing a solar-driven, industrial-scale pilot cement plant.
“Together with Synhelion, we are pioneering solar-powered clinker production, a breakthrough process that can contribute to decarbonizing cement manufacturing,” said Davide Zampini, vice president of global R&D at Cemex. “This award recognizes our vision of achieving net-zero CO₂ emissions, as well as our passion for innovation.”
The Net-Zero Industries Award recognizes and celebrates outstanding innovations in industrial decarbonization; it spotlights the people and projects revolutionizing energy-intensive industries and driving substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
