EU Innovation Fund Selects Four Belgian Companies for a Joint Decarbonization Project

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EU Innovation Fund Selects Four Belgian Companies for a Joint Decarbonization Project

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European Union flag infront of the European Commission (© Shutterstock/symbiot)
European Union flag infront of the European Commission (© Shutterstock/symbiot)

The European innovation fund (Innovation Fund Small Scale) selected a consortium of four leading Belgian industrial players: Fluxys Belgium, Prefer, Orbix, and Lhoist to help decarbonize Belgian industry and offer a sustainable solution for the countries construction sector.

The four selected companies will receive a €4.5 million grant to support their innovative carbon capture, transport, and reuse project (CO2ncrEAT ) in Hermalle.

"The CO2ncrEat project is the culmination of several years of research. It offers both prospects for steelmakers to add value to their by-products and for the construction sector by minimizing the need for natural raw materials," Baptiste Cowez, CTO of Orbix.

According to a press release published by Fluxys, the project will utilize the carbon capture technology developed by Orbix, which focuses on reusing certain steel industry co-products to manufacture construction elements.

Prefer( manufacturer of construction materials ) will use to develop masonry blocks in cooperation with Lhoist (lime producer, supplier of CO2).

"Through the CO2ncrEAT project, our masonry blocks will be made of circular and local raw materials, making our production process sustainable and considerably efficient. The Prefer block of tomorrow will keep all the advantages of the traditional block with the difference that it will benefit from a negative carbon footprint," Raphaël Grimont, CEO of the Prefer Group.

Fluxys Belgium (an expert in pipeline transmission) will work on a pipeline to transport CO2 from the point of capture to the storage, where it will be used to manufacture construction materials.

"We are delighted with this European support for the CO2 capture, transport, and reuse project with Lhoist, Prefer, and Orbix. This project is an integral part of Fluxys' CO2 approach, offering CO2 emitters the possibility of transporting their CO2 as collected through pipelines," said  Pascal De Buck, CEO of Fluxys Belgium.

With the key objective of the partnership being to reduce CO2, the project will help capture at least 12,000 tons of CO2, transported and used to make masonry blocks instead of letting it into the atmosphere. In a statement,  Lhoist said the project is in line with its desire to develop carbon capture and sequestration technologies crritial for the industry's sustainability.

"This project dovetails perfectly with our stated desire to actively develop CO2 capture and sequestration technologies essential to the sustainability of our industry," said Vincent Deleers, General Manager Lhoist Western Europe.

The recycled co-products from the steel industry and captured CO2 will be used as raw materials to manufacture more than 100000 environmentally masonry blocks and, in the process, prevent the emission of additional 8000 tonnes of CO2.

Fluxys Belgium, Prefer, Lhoist, and Orbix will partner with the EU Innovation Fund to set up the critical infrastructure required for the project implementation in Prefer's site in Hermalle-sous-Huy, and the Lhoist site in Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse. 

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