Japan's MUCC launches carbon recycling pilot at Kyushu cement plant

Japan's Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corp. (MUCC) has launched a pilot project at its Kyushu plant in the city of Kitakyushu to convert cement emissions and industrial waste into carbon-storing construction materials, as part of a broader push toward carbon neutrality.

Backed by the country's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry under its green grant program, the initiative is a collaboration with Kitakyushu and aligns with national efforts to develop sustainable, circular economies.

The Kyushu project aims to capture CO2 from cement production and combine it with local industrial byproducts such as waste cement, chemical residues and steel slag to create materials such as carbon-recycled aggregate, road base, and artificial carbonate sand. These will be tested in public infrastructure projects across Kitakyushu.

The launch supports MUCC's broader carbon neutrality targets: a 40% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. The company is also advancing fuel conversion and carbon capture and utilization technologies to decarbonize cement production at scale. If successful, the pilot project's model could be expanded to other regions in Japan and Asia.

The pilot also feeds into Kitakyushu's goal of becoming a circular economy city, building on initiatives led by its circular economy vision promotion council.

"Everyone is working to reduce carbon emissions; we could see more projects like this in the future," a cement and clinker trader based in China said.