Etex and Heidelberg Materials have joined forces for CEMLOOP XL, an EU-funded industrial-scale project that aims to deliver the first fully circular fiber cement solution. The initiative, co-financed by the EU LIFE program, combines state-of-the-art recycling and CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage) technologies to significantly reduce the environmental impact of cement production.
With the project, Etex and Heidelberg Materials aim to close the loop on fiber cement by converting waste material into a high-quality secondary raw material that can replace clinker in low-carbon cement. The partnership marks major progress in the transition to circular construction and carbon-neutral manufacturing.
Etex, in collaboration with Jacobs Group, is developing a new recycling process to convert fiber cement waste from production lines and the entire construction sector into recycled fiber cement paste (RFCP). A new plant is under construction in Hemiksem, Belgium and is expected to go into operation in mid-2026.
At its Lixhe plant in Liège, Heidelberg Materials is pioneering the CCLIX process, which upgrades RFCP through forced carbonization with CO2 collected from furnace exhaust gases. The result – carbonized RFCP (cRFCP) – regains its cementitious properties and can be reused to produce new, lower carbon fiber cement products. A dedicated carbonization reactor is scheduled to be put into operation by 2028.
The environmental benefits are significant: the project will eliminate 60,000 tons of fiber cement waste annually, save 100,000 tons of limestone and reduce CO22 Reduce emissions by at least 20 percent and reduce energy consumption by 15 percent.
“This is a significant step towards new generations of sustainable cements,” said Serge Montagne, Technical Director at Heidelberg Materials Benelux. Eric Bertrand, Chief Innovation Officer of Etex, added: “For the first time, fiber cement will undergo a fully circular journey – proof that innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand.”