Latest News
Successful demonstration of CO2 separation at Project LEILAC in Belgium
July 30, 2019
Preliminary test runs have been completed on the LEILAC pilot at Heidelberg Cement’s Lixhe plant in Belgium. The technology concept has been shown to work on both lime and cement meal, with calcination near to target levels and high purity CO2 successfully separated at the top of the reactor, albeit not yet at full design capacity.
Progress Update: Testing is Now Set to Commence
May 20, 2019
Testing is now set to commence and start to validate the performance of the pilot, and a significant step in enabling Direct Separation to become one of the principal methods of capturing the carbon emissions from the lime and cement industries.

Progress update: Tie-ins and site preparation for the LEILAC pilot are complete
March 08, 2018
Work continues at pace on the LEILAC pilot. Recently all of the on-site preparations for the pilot have been completed. Tie-ins to HeidelbergCement’s host cement plant at Lixhe have been made, and the civil works have been completed for the pilot itself, which will treat a slipstream of Lixhe’s material.
Innovation in Industrial Carbon Capture Conference
February 06, 2018
Over 130 international experts from across industry, academia and government gathered in early February 2018 for the Innovation in Industrial Carbon Capture Conference, in Oupeye, Belgium, organised by the LEILAC (Low Emissions Intensity Lime And Cement) Consortium.
The two-day event was organised by the LEILAC (Low Emissions Intensity Lime And Cement) Consortium, a European Union Horizon 2020 carbon capture project. A wide-ranging agenda was designed to encourage discussion and knowledge sharing across key stakeholder groups with a strategic interest in innovation in carbon capture technology.
Ground-breaking ceremony for LEILAC’s carbon capture pilot project
February 06, 2018
The Innovation in Industrial Carbon Capture Conference also celebrated the ground-breaking of the LEILAC project’s pilot plant hosted at HeidelbergCement’s Lixhe cement plant. This marks the start of the construction of the pilot plant.
Final investment decision reached on innovative technology demonstration project to slash CO2 emissions from cement and lime sectors
August 27, 2017
The Low Emissions Intensity Lime & Cement (LEILAC) consortium today announced that the pioneering carbon capture project, which aims to validate Calix’s innovative Direct Separation technology in the cement and lime sector, has taken a significant step forward as it successfully completes the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study for the pilot plant.
This important milestone was reached on schedule and marked the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the project, which can now enter into the Engineering Procurement and Construction phase. The pilot plant will be integrated into HeidelbergCement’s cement plant at Lixhe, Belgium and is anticipated to commence operation in early 2019.
Innovative project to slash CO2 emissions from cement and lime sectors progresses into FEED phase.
October 20, 2016
The Low Emissions Intensity Lime & Cement (LEILAC) consortium today announced that the ground-breaking project to demonstrate an innovative carbon capture technology for the cement and lime sector, has completed the Preliminary Front End Engineering Design (pre-FEED) study for the pilot plant successfully and on time.
The project will now enter the full Front End Engineering Design (FEED) phase following a decision taken at the General Assembly meeting hosted by ECN on the 29th September in Petten (Netherlands), where results from the preliminary project phase were reviewed.
Development of a new calciner to separate out CO2 released from limestone in clinker production.
July 05, 2016
Innovative technology for carbon capture
At last year’s COP21 Climate Conference in Paris, world leaders agreed to limit global warming to a maximum 2°C, with an ambitious ideal of only 1.5°C, in order to prevent disastrous flooding in many countries.
The cement industry has also announced its Low Carbon Technology Partnership initiative (LCTPi), which aims at reducing global CO2 emissions by 20-25% compared to “Business as Usual” by 2030. But the question remains: what actions can realistically be taken to reach this objective?
LEILAC secures Euro12m from European Union to demonstrate Calix carbon capture technology
April 21, 2016
LEILAC consortium secures €12 Million EU Funding to demonstrate technology to reduce carbon emissions from cement and lime industries.
The LEILAC (Low Emissions Intensity Lime And Cement) consortium has successfully secured €12 million in funding over five years from the European Commission Horizon 2020 Grant programme. The consortium, led by technology provider Calix, and comprising Heidelberg Cement, Cemex, Tarmac, Lhoist, Amec Foster Wheeler, ECN, Imperial College, PSE, Quantis and the Carbon Trust, aims to apply and demonstrate a breakthrough technology that will enable Europe’s cement and lime industries to reduce their carbon footprint significantly. The consortium will also contribute a further €9 million towards the project.
Project LEILAC nominated to the second (and final) round of the European Union “Horizons 2020” grant scheme.
July 01, 2015
Calix is delighted to announce Project LEILAC was nominated by the EU to progress to the second (and final) round submission due late Q3, 2015.