R&D arm of global cement producer CEMEX, focused on CO2 capture, clean firing, and industrial decarbonization technologies for cement and lime manufacturing.
CEMEX Research Group AG is the European R&D hub of CEMEX, one of the world's largest cement and building materials producers. Their H2020 work focuses on decarbonizing cement and lime manufacturing — tackling CO2 emissions through capture technologies, alternative firing processes, and electrocatalytic conversion. They serve as an industrial end-user and demonstration partner, providing real-world cement plant environments and deep process knowledge to validate emerging clean technologies at scale.
LEILAC (direct separation calcining), GENESIS (CO2 capture membranes), eCOCO2 (electrocatalytic CO2 conversion), and SOLPART (solar-heated reactors) all target emissions reduction in cement/lime production.
GENESIS explores MOF/IPOSS membrane-based CO2 capture; eCOCO2 converts captured CO2 into aviation fuel and chemicals via co-ionic membrane reactors.
DESTINY develops microwave firing for cement kilns; SOLPART applies solar heat to industrial particulate production; EPOS focuses on resource efficiency in process operations.
SAMT developed sustainability assessment methods for process industries; EPOS addressed cross-sectoral resource efficiency.
eCOCO2 uses ceramic electrolyte and ionic conductor technologies; GENESIS applies MOF metal-organic frameworks and IPOSS-enhanced membranes.
In their early H2020 participation (2015–2016), CEMEX Research Group focused on broad process industry sustainability (SAMT, EPOS) and pioneering thermal approaches like solar-heated reactors (SOLPART) and direct separation calcining (LEILAC). From 2018 onward, their focus sharpened decisively toward CO2 capture and conversion technologies — membrane-based capture (GENESIS), microwave-assisted firing (DESTINY), and electrocatalytic CO2-to-fuel conversion (eCOCO2). The trajectory is clear: from general process efficiency toward specific, technology-driven decarbonization of cement manufacturing.
CEMEX Research Group is moving toward advanced CO2 capture membranes and electrocatalytic conversion, positioning itself as a testbed for next-generation cement decarbonization technologies.
CEMEX Research Group exclusively participates as a partner, never leading consortia — consistent with their role as a large industrial end-user providing validation environments rather than driving research agendas. With 83 unique partners across 21 countries, they operate in large, diverse consortia and do not appear to cluster around repeat collaborators. This makes them an accessible industrial partner: they bring real cement plant infrastructure and are accustomed to working with academic and SME-heavy teams.
They have collaborated with 83 distinct partners across 21 countries, indicating a wide-reaching European network. Their partnerships span research institutions, technology developers, and fellow process industry players across Western and Southern Europe.
As the R&D arm of a global cement major, CEMEX Research Group offers something few partners can: access to real industrial-scale cement and lime production facilities for testing and demonstration. Unlike university labs or technology SMEs, they can validate technologies under actual production conditions — kilns, calciners, and flue gas streams. For any consortium developing decarbonization technology for process industries, they are the bridge between laboratory results and industrial reality.
