Grant: Idea to Innovation

The production of Portland cement, a key material for construction, is highly carbon-intensive due to the energy needed to produce cement clinker. This process releases CO2 during the calcination of limestone and requires kilns operating at high temperatures for decomposition (>900 °C) and clinker formation (>1450 °C). To reduce cement's carbon footprint, we have developed an electrochemical reactor that converts waste cementitious material into hydrated lime and silica, another key ingredient in cement production. This new process eliminates nearly all CO2 emissions (>99%) associated with the calcination step and reduces the need for quarrying virgin limestone, making it the first carbon-free process for producing cement clinker precursors. Through this Phase I project, we plan to demonstrate the scalability of our technology by fabricating a custom multi-cell electrolyzer stack with a total active area 50 times greater than our current 4 cm^2 single cell prototype. Each of the two cells within the stack will have an active area of 100 cm^2. This milestone will support our commercialization strategy by overcoming the major barrier to industrial investment, thereby enabling the transfer of the technology from the lab to the marketplace. In parallel, we plan to engage a consultant to conduct a feasibility study for the balance of plant at commercial production scale. The study will assess the economic viability, identify gaps and challenges, determine areas needing further validation, and outline the scalability of the technology at the ton scale to de-risk it as we move towards commercialization.