Swedish mining group Boliden has received SEK117m (US$11m) in support from the Swedish Energy Agency under the government’s Industrial Leap initiative to develop a low-carbon alternative material for the cement value chain.
The funding will support the construction of an industrial demonstration plant to produce and validate a new product derived from iron-rich residual materials generated within Boliden’s own operations. The material can partially replace quicklime, a key input in cement manufacturing and one of the main sources of process-related CO2 emissions.
By substituting part of this input with recycled industrial residues, Boliden aims to reduce the carbon intensity of cement and related applications. According to the company, widespread use of the new product within its own operations could reduce value-chain emissions by up to 600,000ta in the long term.
The project also supports circular economy objectives by converting materials that would otherwise be disposed of into productive inputs.
The Industrial Leap programme is designed to accelerate large-scale industrial decarbonisation in Sweden through support for innovative technologies. It forms part of Sweden’s strategy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and is supported by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.
