UK/US: Climate technology company Origen has completed pre-front end engineering and design (pre-FEED) for its commercial-scale zero-emission lime production facility, with engineering conducted by Hatch. The study establishes a validated cost and performance baseline for a plant producing up to 315,000t/yr of zero-emission lime, reducing investment risk ahead of detailed design and construction planning. Hatch’s analysis indicates that costs are expected to decline further at larger scales. Origen’s oxyfuel kiln technology captures 100% of process CO₂ emissions directly during production, generating a pure CO₂ stream without the need for post-combustion capture systems. The company said that this enables zero-emission lime production without reliance on renewable electricity.

A lifecycle assessment conducted by Hatch as part of the study found that the process can reduce emissions intensity by around 90% compared to conventional lime production, which emits over 1t of CO₂ for every 1t of lime produced. Origen also plans to deploy the technology within industrial clusters to simplify integration with existing CO₂ infrastructure and customers. With pre-FEED complete, Origen is now preparing to select from several sites under evaluation and advance into front end engineering and design (FEED) prior to detailed engineering and construction.

India: JK Cement has increased cement grinding capacity at its Muddapur plant in Karnataka by 1Mt/yr, raising the unit’s total capacity to 4.5Mt/yr from 3.5Mt/yr. The expansion was achieved through debottlenecking and optimisation of the existing production system. The plant’s clinker capacity remains at 2.64Mt/yr. JK Cement’s total grey cement production capacity has now reached 32.3Mt/yr.

India: JSW Cement has commenced production at its greenfield integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan. The facility includes a 3.3Mt/yr clinker unit and a 2.5Mt/yr cement grinding unit, with an additional 1Mt/yr grinding unit under construction. Following commissioning, the company’s total cement grinding capacity has reached 24.1Mt/yr, while clinker capacity stands at 9.74Mt/yr. It was financed through a mix of equity and long-term debt, including US$85m allocated from the company’s initial public offering.

Managing director Parth Jindal said “We look forward to servicing the growing needs of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region area. I am truly excited that the company was able to commission this greenfield integrated unit within 21 months. With this commissioning, the company is firmly on track to achieve its 41.9Mt/yr capacity on or before the 2029 financial year.”

The facility includes provisions for co-processing alternative fuels and features a 7km overland belt conveyor to transport limestone. A 16MW waste heat recovery system is also planned to improve energy efficiency.

China: KHD Humboldt Wedag has commissioned a Pyrorotor alternative fuels (AF) system on a 5000t/day production line at Conch Group’s Baoshan cement plant in Yunnan Province. The project marks the second installation of the technology in China. During commissioning, the system processed high-moisture biomass and a mix of municipal waste, achieving a feed rate of 18t/hr while maintaining kiln stability. No material build-up at the kiln inlet was recorded, and the unit operated at higher rotational speeds to adapt to challenging fuel conditions.

KHD’s commissioning supervisor A Timuçin Tuzcuoğlu said “The Pyrorotor unit handled the adverse fuel conditions without a problem,” adding that further improvements could be achieved with higher-quality fuels.

Following commissioning, the plant plans to test additional biomass feedstocks, expand AF preparation capacity and explore the use of externally-sourced AF. It also intends to showcase the installation to officials from other plants within Conch Group.