Holcim UAE and Oman, in partnership with carbon storage developer 44.01, have launched the UAE’s first continuous, live-condition carbon capture and underground mineralization project for the cement sector in Fujairah.
Following its initial commissioning, the facility has been operational since mid-July, capturing between 4 and 4.5 tonnes of CO2 per day directly from the flue gas stream of Holcim’s Fujairah Cement Plant.
The captured carbon is transported to 44.01’s nearby storage site and injected deep underground into Fujairah’s peridotite and ultramafic rock formations.
Through an accelerated natural chemical process, the injected CO2 permanently reacts with the surrounding rock, turning into solid carbonate minerals to eliminate re-emission risk.
The initiative marks a major step forward in decarbonizing hard-to-abate industrial sectors, providing a fully integrated blueprint spanning flue gas capture, specialized local transport, and permanent in-situ mineralization.
Six-Month Trial To Inform Scalability Across Heavy Industry
Supported by local entities including the Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation, the Fujairah Environment Authority, NT Energies, and Gulf Cryo, the pilot project serves as a proving ground for commercial scale.
Over the next six months, project partners will gather real-time performance data under live industrial conditions to evaluate the feasibility of deploying larger-scale mineralization infrastructure across the UAE and global markets.
Relevant: Mitsubishi Electric To Test Carbon Capture & Utilization On Brewery
Ali Said, CEO of Holcim UAE & Oman, emphasized the immediate impact of the operational trial.
“Achieving full-time capture and mineralization at our Fujairah plant is an important step forward,” Said stated. “Through our active carbon capture and mineralization efforts, we are permanently storing carbon and creating in-country value, sustainability, and circularity into the foundation of the built environment.”
Talal Hasan, Founder and CEO of 44.01, added that integrating in-situ mineralization directly with active cement operations proves permanent storage can be deployed today to support the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 ambitions.
Read more: AIRCO Opens Pennsylvania Manufacturing Hub For Modular Fuel Systems
