Rohrdorfer Doubles CO2 Capture
Thanks to technical upgrades, the pilot plant can now capture more than twice as much CO₂ from flue gases and achieve higher levels of purity.
August 6, 2026
Source: E & M powernews
Cement manufacturer Rohrdorfer has expanded the capacity of its Bavarian pilot plant for CO2 capture.
Cement and concrete manufacturer Rohrdorfer has expanded the capacity of its pilot plant forCO2 capture at its cement plant in Rohrdorf, near Rosenheim in Upper Bavaria. Although the volumes are still modest, the plant can now capture up to two metric tons of CO2 per day from flue gas, the company announced. Previously, the daily capture rate was around 900 kilograms. At the same time, the capture efficiency has risen to up to 99 percent.
The higher capacity is made possible by a second so-called absorption column, which was installed in March, the company added. The pilot plant is connected to the exhaust gases from cement production. CO2 is produced during cement manufacturing—both through the burning process and from the limestone used. The flue gas flows through both columns in succession, thereby remaining in contact with an amine scrubbing solution for a longer period of time. The scrubbing solution binds the CO₂, is then regenerated, and reused.
In addition, a so-called oxystripper was installed in early July. According to Rohrdorfer, the oxystripper removes approximately 90 percent of the oxygen dissolved in the amine scrubbing solution. This is intended to increase both the purity of the captured CO2 and the service life of the scrubbing solution.
“With the second column and the oxystripper, we have taken an important step forward,” said Christian Räthel, Head of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) in Rohrdorfer’s Net-Zero-Emission Team. The company has moved closer to meeting the requirements for the subsequent storage of the captured CO2.
The capture is part of a broader strategy to reduce emissions from cement production. As early as 2024, Rohrdorfer had announced another pilot project in which cement clinker is to be partially replaced by “tempered clays.” The process is intended to reduce the proportion of particularly CO2-intensive clinker in the cement.
The two projects address different aspects: While tempered clays are intended to prevent the formation of CO2, the capture plant aims to recover emissions that have already been generated. In this way, Rohrdorfer combines measures to reduce the clinker content with the technical capture of CO2 from the production process.
Author: Stefan Sagmeister