A radical set of innovative technologies for the cement industry will emerge in Germany-a co-production system of cement and chemical products that fully achieves the goal of carbon neutrality.

2021, Enertrag, one of the three world-renowned "invisible champions" in Germany, Renewable energy companies, & nbsp; Cemex's German Rudersdorf Cement Company and Sunfire Electrolytic Chemical Technology Company have jointly formed a research and development consortium for technological innovation, aiming to achieve full carbon neutralization. Build a complete set of industrial scale cooperative production system that can produce cement and various chemical products at the same time. The name of the innovative R & D project is Concrete & nbsp; "Chemicals" (concrete chemical products), after being submitted to the Federal Ministry of Environment, Ecological Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMU) for approval, has been included in the "German Industrial Carbon Reduction Action" plan in 2021, and has received financial support for the start of the project. The objectives and key scientific and technological research of the

project are as follows: Enertrag's wind and solar power plants in Brandenburg provide all the electricity needed by the Rudersdorf cement plant with an annual output of 2 million tons of cement, and establish a special zero-carbon power supply and energy storage system. Sunfire supplied Rudersdorf Cement Plant with a 20 MW alkaline pressure cell unit for the production of 5000 t/a of green hydrogen and a Co-SOEC high temperature cell unit for the production of syngas consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. After a series of physical and chemical catalytic reactions, all CO2 discharged from Rudersdorf Cement Plant and green hydrogen or synthesis gas can produce green methanol, a variety of clean chemical products and clean fuels.

Such a fully carbon neutral "Concrete & nbsp; Chemicals" The joint plant, which is planned to be put into trial production in 2025, is the first industrial scale demonstration production line of this type in the world. It can not only achieve carbon neutralization, but also pioneer the use of zero-carbon electricity in cement plants; At the same time, it produces zero carbon cement (2Mta), and a variety of clean chemical products and clean fuels; cement kilns all use alternative fuels and green hydrogen burning clinker , which is beneficial to fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas). TSR = 100%: It is mainly to open up a new field of efficient utilization of CO2 in cement kilns. It is indeed a disruptive new technology for the cement industry to unite the energy and chemical industries, complement each other's advantages and cooperate with each other for joint innovation, which is of great significance to the scientific, technological, economic and sustainable development.

Enertrag, Sunfire and Rudersdorf are the three "invisible champions" in the last 10 years. After the completion of relevant laboratory tests, pilot tests and small-scale industrial tests in their respective fields of expertise, and on the basis of the corresponding results, the three companies jointly cooperate to carry out disruptive innovative technology projects on an industrial scale. However, judging from the fact that the research and development time of the project may take 3 to 4 years, are there any more difficult technical obstacles to be overcome? Or is there a problem with the timing of fund raising? Or the German planning habits are more "conservative", unlike our Chinese "hurry", the reserved insurance coefficient is too large, and so on. Although the author feels that these problems need to be further explored. However, in terms of overall public opinion, the response of all sectors of German society and the media to the project is quite positive and optimistic, even with high expectations.

This cross-industry R & D model of joint innovation of subversive new technologies by many high-quality small and medium-sized enterprises is worth learning from . However, the relevant technical preparation and accumulation of technical achievements owned by each enterprise in the consortium are indispensable. The cultivation of "invisible champion" enterprises requires a certain amount of time and practice. Therefore, our country must step up and make overall deployment as soon as possible. On September 9,

2021, the China Building Materials Federation released the first list of major scientific and technological projects in the national building materials industry. This is a good idea and guidance, which has a significant role in promoting and stimulating the disruptive technological innovation activities currently in the brewing stage in China's cement industry, and is a very timely and powerful measure. We should do a solid job in this major scientific and technological project, and the results can be expected. On September 23,

2021, the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biology of the Academy had made significant progress in the synthesis of starch using carbon dioxide as raw material, which opened our minds. It is no longer a fantasy to build a fully carbon-neutral cement and starch joint production plant in the future. It is hoped that China will dedicate the world's first joint plant for co-production of cement and starch, open up a broader new field for the efficient use of carbon dioxide, and make new contributions to solving the long-standing problem of global climate change!