During the test phase at Limak Cement’s Polatlı Anka plant in June, hydrogen was successfully injected into the preheating tower, achieving a 50% thermal substitution rate from alternative fuels. This pioneering application in Türkiye marks the first instance of feeding low-carbon hydrogen, alongside alternative fuels, directly into the precalciner inlet instead of the cement rotary kiln’s main burner.
Scaling this new technology across the entire plant (including both kiln and precalciner operations) beyond 2035 is expected to lead to substantial reductions in CO₂ emissions.
When permanently implemented in this lighthouse project at the Anka Cement Plant, the technology could reduce upfront CO₂ emissions by 180,000 tons annually compared to coal usage. Furthermore, applying the same high-biogenic-content fuel mix across all Limak cement plants would reduce CO₂ emissions by 700,000 tons per year.
Speaking at the event held after the successful trial, Erkam Kocakerim, CEO of Limak Cement Global, highlighted the project’s contributions and the company’s goals: “The purpose of this investment is to experience safe and effective use technologies of hydrogen in our cement kilns and to increase the rate of alternative fuel substitution. We aim to operate the kilns in our 7 integrated cement plants with a low-carbon fuel mix between 2030 and 2035. I believe that this trial is of great importance as it is the first in the Turkish cement industry and the positive results will contribute to the rapid development of the hydrogen ecosystem in our country. Because in a successful low carbon hydrogen ecosystem, the supply-demand cycle and scale are as important as production technology. Our project on hydrogen technologies will continue with new phases.”
Souhel Bousta, General Manager at Air Liquide Türkiy, commented: “We are pleased to accompany Limak Cement in their decarbonization journey. We are convinced hydrogen will play a key role in the transformation of energy and industry, and it will take partnerships such as this one to develop the whole ecosystem.”
