Holcim UAE and 44.01 Bring Fujairah Cement Carbon Capture and Mineralization Pilot to Full Operation

Holcim UAE and mineralization technology company 44.01 have moved their Fujairah cement carbon capture pilot into continuous operation, marking what the partners describe as the UAE's first live-condition capture and underground mineralization project for the cement sector. The facility has been running since July 15, capturing CO₂ directly from flue gas at Holcim's Fujairah cement plant.

The system is designed to capture between 4 and 4.5 tonnes of CO₂ daily. Captured gas is transported to 44.01's mineralization site, where it is injected deep underground into Fujairah's naturally occurring ultramafic rock. There, it mineralizes into solid carbonate rock, an accelerated version of a natural geological process that locks the carbon away permanently.

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The two companies first announced the partnership in December 2025, when they described it as the first global effort to combine CO₂ captured directly from a cement plant with in-situ mineralization. Cement production accounts for roughly 8% of global CO₂ emissions, and much of that comes from the chemical process of converting limestone into clinker rather than from energy use alone, making the sector one of the harder ones to decarbonize.

From Pilot Concept to Live Operation

Moving the project from launch to full-time capture is a meaningful step because it demonstrates the entire carbon management chain, capture, transport, and permanent mineralization, running under actual industrial conditions rather than as a one-off demonstration. The partners say the pilot will keep generating operational data over the next six months to help validate how the approach could scale.

Ali Said, CEO of Holcim UAE & Oman, said achieving full-time capture and mineralization at the Fujairah plant is an important step toward proving industrial decarbonization is achievable now, not years away.

Talal Hasan, Founder and CEO of 44.01, said the project shows that permanent carbon storage can be deployed today at a live industrial site.

Local Partners Behind the Pilot

The pilot draws on a group of local and regional partners, including the Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation (FNRC), the Fujairah Environment Authority (FEA), NT Energies, and Gulf Cryo. Holcim frames the collaboration as part of its NextGen Growth strategy and says it supports the UAE's Net Zero 2050 target, while 44.01 points to the project as evidence its mineralization technology is replicable across other industrial sites and geological settings.

About Holcim

Holcim is a global leader in sustainable construction, headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, offering building materials and solutions ranging from foundation and flooring to walling and roofing. The company operates in more than 45 countries and has committed to a 1.5°C-aligned net-zero roadmap validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.

About 44.01

Founded in 2020, 44.01 is a carbon mineralization company that accelerates a natural geological reaction, converting captured CO₂ into stable carbonate minerals within rock formations for permanent, verifiable storage. The company has run projects in Oman and the UAE and is a winner of the Earthshot Prize.

Source: Bizpreneur Middle East