Von der Erde ins All: CemSol

Cement production is a major source of CO₂ emissions. But how can such an energy-intensive industrial process be made more sustainable, climate-neutral and resilient? In the CemSol project, solar-generated high-temperature heat is being used in the particularly emission-intensive calcination process.

Anyone wishing to find out more can listen to the podcast episode ‘Von der Erde ins All’ (english: From Earth to Space). In it, Dr. Martin Roeb, Head of the Solar Chemical Process Development Department, talks to podcast host Daniel Finger about the project and the potential of solar thermal technology.

Firstly, he explains that avoiding direct emissions is one of the project’s objectives. These emissions arise because fossil fuels are used during production to achieve high temperatures. Solar thermal energy could be used for this purpose in the future. He also emphasises that the aim is to reduce so-called inherent emissions. These arise from the chemical process itself. Innovative reactor designs and intelligent closed-loop systems can also help to reduce these.

The podcast ‘Von der Erde ins All’ is produced in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and focuses on topics relating to space travel, aviation, energy and mobility. Daniel Finger reports on the current state of affairs and the significance of research and technology in our time.