LEILAC SARL

Their core work

LEILAC SARL is a Paris-based SME dedicated to developing and scaling Direct Separation calcining technology for carbon capture in the lime and cement industries. Their core innovation is a reactor design that separates process CO2 emissions from limestone calcination without requiring chemicals or additional energy inputs — tackling one of the hardest-to-abate industrial emission sources. They operate as the dedicated commercialization and project vehicle behind the LEILAC technology program, coordinating industrial-scale pilots and demonstration plants across Europe. Their work targets cement and lime producers seeking a low-cost pathway to decarbonize process emissions that account for roughly 60% of cement sector CO2.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the first phase (LEILAC, 2016-2021), the focus was narrow and technical: proving the Direct Separation reactor works at pilot scale for lime and Portland cement calcination with minimal process change. In the second phase (LEILAC2, 2020-2026) the scope expanded significantly toward industrial deployment — keywords shift to 'low cost carbon capture', 'CO2 hub', 'CCUS', and 'CO2 use', showing a pivot from reactor R&D toward the full capture-transport-utilization value chain. The trajectory is classic technology maturation: pilot proof to demonstration plant, with growing emphasis on downstream economics.

Moving from proving the reactor works to integrating it into full CCUS hubs — prime partner for anyone building industrial decarbonization projects in cement, lime, or adjacent process-emission sectors.

How they like to work

LEILAC SARL is a dedicated coordinator — it has led both of its H2020 projects and never appeared as a participant. The consortium grew substantially between LEILAC and LEILAC2, suggesting they add new industrial and research partners as the technology matures rather than sticking to a closed group. Working with them means entering a tightly focused, single-technology program where they set the direction.

Coordinated 27 unique partners across 10 countries, concentrated in European cement, lime, engineering, and research organizations. The network is broad enough to span the industrial value chain but built around a single technology program.

What sets them apart

LEILAC SARL is not a generic research SME — it is effectively the purpose-built vehicle for commercializing one specific breakthrough: Direct Separation calcining for cement and lime. That focus is a strength for anyone whose problem is process CO2 in mineral industries, because no other H2020 coordinator has taken this technology to demonstration scale. If cement or lime decarbonization is on the agenda, they are a first-call partner; if the problem lies elsewhere, they are likely out of scope.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LEILAC2
  EUR 6.13M Innovation Action taking Direct Separation from pilot to demonstration scale — the flagship that positions them as a serious industrial decarbonization player.
• LEILAC
  The original pilot project that proved the Direct Separation concept for cement and lime calcination, establishing the technology foundation.