European building materials multinational Holcim and Oman-based climate-tech company 44.01 have launched the world’s first pilot project to mineralise carbon dioxide captured directly from a cement plant, the companies said on Tuesday

It will initially capture 5 tonnes of CO2 per day from cement production and inject it into peridotite rock formations in Fujairah, where the gas will naturally mineralize.

The companies said this provides a safe, permanent geological storage method and marks the first time captured industrial CO2 from cement manufacturing is paired with in-situ mineralisation.

Holcim currently operates a 3.2 million tonnes per annum cement production plant in Fujairah.

The initiative is supported by the Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation (FNRC) and will operate under environmental guidance from the Fujairah Environment Authority (FEA).

Carbon capture for the project will be delivered in partnership with NT Energies, a joint venture between Technip Energies and NMDC Energy, using Shell CANSOLV capture technology through the alliance between Shell Catalysts & Technologies and Technip Energies.

Holcim UAE is tackling emissions across all scopes, according to a November 2025 report by Dubai-based newspaper Khaleej Times. For Scope 1, it uses over 40 percent alternative fuels, including industrial waste and byproducts, and incorporates construction and demolition waste as raw materials. For Scope 2, a waste heat recovery system at Fujairah will cut electricity use by 25 percent. For Scope 3, Holcim is partnering with Etihad Rail to reduce transport emissions.

The pilot in Fujairah is 44.01’s second CO2 mineralisation project in the UAE, and supports the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 strategy and Holcim Group’s NextGen Growth 2030 plan.

It also marks 44.01’s first project with an industrial customer, expanding its mineralisation portfolio in the region.

In December 2023, the company had launched its first mineralisation pilot project in the UAE in partnership with ADNOC, Masdar and FNRC. The project used Direct Air Capture (DAC) and seawater to permanently mineralise 10 tonnes of CO2 in under 100 days. Following the successful pilot, ADNOC and 44.01 announced in November 2024 plans to scale the Fujairah pilot with the first phase targeting more than 300 tonnes of CO2.

In September 2023, the company had announced a partnership with US-based Aircapture for a DAC-to-mineralisation project in Oman’s Hajar mountains after securing a concession with Ministry of Energy and Minerals for the world’s first commercial-scale peridotite mineralisation project in the Sultanate.

(Editing by Anoop Menon) (anoop.menon@lseg.com)

Subscribe to our Projects' PULSE newsletter that brings you trustworthy news, updates and insights on project activities, developments, and partnerships across sectors in the Middle East and Africa.