CaLby2030: Calcium looping to capture CO₂ from industrial processes by 2030

CaLby2030 develops and demonstrates cost-effective calcium looping (CaL) technology for carbon capture in hard-to-abate sectors, including the cement and steel industries, as well as waste-to-energy and biomass power plants. The project operates TRL6 pilot plants in Germany, Sweden, and Spain to test CaL under industrial conditions. LUT University’s role in the project is to simulate CaL circulating fluidized bed reactors at both pilot and commercial scale.

Goals

1. Accelerate the commercial deployment of calcium looping technology (CaL) for cost-effective CO₂ capture in hard-to-abate industries.
2. Develop and test three TRL6 pilot plants in Germany, Sweden, and Spain under industrially relevant conditions.
3. Demonstrate high-efficiency CO₂ capture from cement plants, steel-making processes, waste-to-energy, and biomass power plants.
4. Achieve CO₂ capture rates of over 99% and minimize energy intensity, with SPECCA below 0.8 MJ/kgCO₂.
5. Support large-scale CO₂ reduction efforts in key industrial sectors to align with EU decarbonization targets.
6. Conduct Front End Engineering Design (FEED) studies for scaling up CaL technology in at least four EU locations.
7. Investigate material synergies by utilizing the CaO-rich purge from the CaL process to reduce limestone use in the parent process.
8. Optimize process economics by achieving CO₂ capture costs as low as 30 €/t CO₂ avoided.
9. Assess social acceptability and policy implications for CCUS deployment using novel methodologies.
10. Enable integration with future energy systems by utilizing low-cost oxygen from electrolysis for CaL processes.

• The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain
• Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI), Italy
• Laboratorio Energia Ambiente Piacenza (LEAP), Italy
• University of Stuttgart, Germany
• University College London (UCL), United Kingdom
• Universitatea Babes-Bolyai (UBB), Romania
• Radboud University, Netherlands
• VDZ Technology, Germany
• SWERIM, Sweden
• Sumitomo SHI FW, Finland
• CARMEUSE TECHNOLOGIES, Belgium
• ACCIONA, Spain
• IREN, Italy
• Thomas Zement, Germany
• Alleima, Sweden
• Barna Steel (CELSA), Spain
• Grupo Hunosa, Spain
• EU CORE, Italy