Carbon-neutral fuels from cement CO₂

Paris, France and Bedford, MA, USA – Joule, the pioneer of liquid fuels from recycled CO₂, and HeidelbergCement, a German multinational building material company, today announced a partnership designed to explore application of Joule’s technology to mitigate carbon emissions in cement manufacturing. This initial relationship fits well with Joule’s strategy of turning waste CO₂ into liquid fuel. A successful partnership between Joule and HeidelbergCement could over time result in the co-location of Joule’s Helioculture Technology at one or more HeidelbergCement sites around the world.

Since 1990, HeidelbergCement has worked tirelessly to decrease its carbon emissions, initiating various programs across the organization that have reduced emissions by 23 percent. HeidelbergCement’s partnership with Joule represents another example of its sustained dedication to leveraging innovative technologies and programs for climate protection. As part of the agreement, emissions (or offtake gas) from various HeidelbergCement factories could provide Joule with the waste CO₂ required to feed its advanced Helioculture platform that effectively recycles CO₂ back into fuel.

“We’ve been focused on lowering carbon emissions for more than two decades, and we are excited to take further steps to lower our CO₂ emissions by working with a dedicated organization with state-of-the-art technology that is committed to protecting the climate,” said Jan Theulen, Director Alternative Resources, HeidelbergCement. “Joule’s process, which effectively recycles waste CO₂ into liquid fuels, is a perfect match for HeidelbergCement and our core values, and we look forward to starting the journey towards a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship.”

Joule’s Helioculture process directly and continuously converts sunlight and waste CO₂ into infrastructure-ready fuels, including ethanol and alkanes that serve as highly blendable feedstock for diesel and jet fuel products. Only requiring abundantly available inputs, including sunlight, brackish or sea water and waste CO₂, the process is well suited for global deployment. For organizations like HeidelbergCement, Joule turns a carbon challenge into a carbon solution by capturing and recycling waste CO₂.

“Carbon emissions are a challenge faced by many industries that are of critical importance to everyday life, such as cement,” said Brian Baynes, CEO of Joule. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to partner with HeidelbergCement in an attempt to develop a modern, ultra-low carbon cement manufacturing process.”

About Joule

Joule develops technology platforms for the production of sustainable, drop in, low carbon transportation fuels. The company pioneered a direct CO₂-to-fuel production platform, effectively reversing combustion through the use of solar energy. This platform applies engineered catalysts to continuously convert waste CO₂ directly into renewable fuels such as ethanol or hydrocarbons for diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline. Flexible to utilize a variety of feedstocks, geographies, and climates, Joule’s processes enable unrivaled scalability and volume at optimal cost. Joule is privately held and has raised over $200 million in funding to date, led by Flagship Ventures. The company operates from Bedford, Massachusetts and The Hague, The Netherlands with production operations in Hobbs, New Mexico

About HeidelbergCement

HeidelbergCement is the global market leader in aggregates and a prominent player in the fields of cement, concrete, and other downstream activities, making it one of the world’s leading manufacturers of building materials. The company employs some 45,000 people at 2,300 locations in more than 40 countries. HeidelbergCement is founding member of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) as part of the World Business Council of Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The company has defined a set of Sustainability Ambitions for 2020 and reporting is done in HeidelbergCement’s biennial Sustainability Report.

Source: Joule Unlimite, Inc., press release, 2015-12-11.