A major new European project, CILANTRO, has officially launched in Brussels. This project aims to revolutionise the cement industry, a significant source of global CO₂ emissions, by creating the world’s first carbon-negative cement.
Funded by the European Innovation Council EIC – Pathfinder call on “Towards cement and concrete as a carbon sink”, CILANTRO is pioneering a new, eco-friendly process that completely avoids the need for traditional, high-temperature production methods that burn fossil fuels.
Instead, the project will use a groundbreaking non-thermal technology that creates cement’s key ingredient using mechanical force and employing hydrogen as a key feedstock. This new process will not only prevent CO₂ from being released but will also produce valuable gases for clean fuels.
“The launch of CILANTRO marks a crucial first step in our ambitious journey to redefine the future of cement,” said Dr. Román Nevshupa, project coordinator from the IETCC-CSIC. “This project represents a truly groundbreaking, high-risk/high-gain approach to a critical environmental challenge, and we are thrilled to begin working with our partners to make this vision a reality.”
The four-year project brings together a powerful team of researchers and industry partners from across Europe. The goal is to develop and validate a new method for cement production that doesn’t just reduce emissions—it actively absorbs them offering a cost-effective way toward a more sustainable and greener future for our buildings and cities.
About the CILANTRO Project
The CILANTRO project is a part of a portfolio of six European projects carefully selected and focused on developing a clean, carbon-negative alternative to traditional cement. The project aims to eliminate the CO₂ emissions associated with current production methods and develop a new cement manufacturing technology that results in net negative CO₂ emissions over the cement’s lifetime.
CILANTRO Website: https://cilantro-project.eu/
Project LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cilantroproject