The US Department of Energy has provided more than 32 million dollars (Rs 42 crore) for the joint project ‘Solar MEAD’ led by CEMEX, Sandia National Laboratories, and Synhelion.
According to the press release issued by the companies published on Thursday, under this project, the companies are testing the work of replacing the use of Fossil Fuel with Central Solar Thermal energy to produce the clinker required for cement.
The company has produced solar clinker for the first time in 2022 and has also demonstrated the first successful laboratory. It is believed to reduce the emission production in the environment.
Clinker is produced using limestone, clay and other materials in a rotary kiln at a temperature of 1500 Celsius. Polluted fossil fuels are traditionally used to heat kilns. This process is directly responsible for 40 percent of carbon emissions, the statement said. The company claims that the new project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions, reduce the temperature of the clinker production process and increase the efficiency of clinker production using solar energy.
If the companies are successful in this plan, the companies believe that this plan will not only replace 100 percent of fossil fuels, but also help in a more efficient and low-cost carbon capture process compared to the current state-of-the-art technologies.
