Litherm Technologies GmbH, a German developer of fully electric calcination technology for the lime and cement industries, has secured more than EUR6.5m (US$7.6m) in seed financing to advance the industrialisation of its process.
The funding round brings together a consortium of industrial partners and climate technology investors, including bmp Ventures AG with the IBG Funds, Graymont, SkreenHouse Ventures, Kalkfabrik Netstal AG, Zeitinger Invest GmbH, the Breakthrough Energy Foundation and UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators.
Several investors represent major participants in the lime sector. Graymont is one of the world’s largest lime producers, while SkreenHouse Ventures is the corporate venture arm of building materials group SigmaRoc. According to Litherm, the participation of industrial partners is intended to support the scaling and eventual commercial deployment of the technology.
The capital will be used to advance the industrialisation of Litherm’s fully electric calcination process and to develop the company’s first commercial demonstration plants. The project builds on operational experience from a pilot installation constructed at a Fels-Werke GmbH site in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
Litherm’s process uses fluidised-bed technology powered entirely by electricity, eliminating combustion and associated fossil fuel emissions during calcination. Carbon dioxide released during the calcination reaction is captured in a highly concentrated stream and made available for carbon capture, utilisation or storage (CCUS) pathways. The company says the capture process is integrated into the heat recovery system and does not require additional energy input.
Litherm co-founder and CEO Felix Nelles said the financing round would enable the company to move into its next scaling phase and accelerate development towards industrial deployment.
