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Insights from the trans- and interdisciplinary dialogue at the Second Annual HERCCULES Meeting

This report summarises key insights from the trans- and interdisciplinary dialogue held during the Second Annual Meeting of the HERCCULES project in Vernasca, Italy on July 1st and 2nd, 2025.

https://zenodo.org/records/17018134

Regulatory and Political Readiness of Southern Europe for Industrial Implementation of CCUS Technology: A Case Study from Italy and Greece

The Horizon Europe project HERCCULES aims to demonstrate the full CCUS value chain including the cement and waste-to-energy industry in Italy and Greece. The objective of this study is an in-depth analysis of strategies and CCUS regulations influencing the implementation of CCUS clusters in the targeted regions of the project.
The European Climate Law targets to reduce GHGE by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990, and to reach climate neutrality by 2050. Italy is one of the largest CO2 emitters (3rd place in 2023) in EU countries. Italy and Greece have good prospects for industrial implementation of CCUS technology and becoming climate-neutral by 2050. In both countries total CO2 emissions and emissions per capita significantly decreased by 2023 compared to 1990 and 2005. Italy has ratified the London Protocol (LP) and intends to deposit a formal declaration of provisional application of its 2009 amendment to Article 6 and to enter into discussions with France and Greece about bilateral agreements on transboundary transport of CO2 to develop storage under the seabed. Greece is a member of the London Convention. Both countries are members of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution, while now CO2 injection offshore is not prohibited. CO2 storage is not banned in Italy except for high-risk seismic areas and in Greece except for areas where the storage complex extends beyond Greek territory. However, permitting process is regulated now in Italy only for offshore depleted reservoirs.
In both countries, the first storage site (Ravenna in Italy and Prinos in Greece) is planned in depleted hydrocarbon fields which are under development now. Both storage sites are included in the 6th list of EU PCI & PMI projects for infrastructure development and cross-border cooperation. ENI already has a permit for the experimental programme “CCS Ravenna Phase 1” in Italy, while Energean has finalised the exploration of the Prinos site in Greece under the exploration permit and is waiting for a storage permit submitted in the summer of 2024. Governmental financial support is yet under discussion in Italy, but Prinos PCI has been already awarded by €150 M funding by the Greek government

https://zenodo.org/records/15373787

Negative CO2 Emissions in Cement and Waste-to-Energy Plants: Integration of Calcium-Looping, CO2 Purification and Mineralization Processes within the Herccules Project

The Horizon Europe HERCCULES project is an innovation action aimed at assessing the whole CCUS chain in southern Europe, focusing on the cement and energy-from-waste sectors. A significant effort to achieve this ambitious goal is dedicated to demonstrating CO2 capture and utilization technologies. Three capture technologies will be tested in the cement industry: an amine-based solvent absorption system to assess the performance of a new generation solvent using several configurations and including innovative components; an oxyfuel calciner coupled with a CPU to evaluate the possibility of achieving a capture rate of around 80% without modifying the key steps of the clinker production process; and the hybrid configuration to achieve an overall capture rate of 98%. Meanwhile, a CaL system coupled with a cryogenic CPU will be demonstrated in the EfW plant. Three CO2 utilization technologies will be tested: an autoclave system for the production of autoclaved hydraulic binders, a skid for the mineralization of fine demolished concrete, and a zeolite-based mineralization plant to produce CO2-trapped natural and synthetic zeolite to be used as SCMs. Currently, all the capture and utilization technologies are in the design and procurement stage, and next year, the experimental campaign will begin. Finally, CO2 storage will be tested, and the development of the whole CCUS chain will be optimized for the northern Italy and Greece clusters. Exploitation material, business plans, and guidelines for all the technologies demonstrated, as well as a life cycle assessment and cost-benefit analysis of the whole CCUS, will be delivered at the end of the project.

https://zenodo.org/records/15372479

Process design and simulation of the HERCCULES solvent-based post-combustion CO2 capture pilot for cement plants

This work presents the design of a solvent-based post-combustion CO2 capture pilot to be tested on real cement flue gases. The pilot plant, employing solvent-based CO2 absorption/stripping in packed columns, has been designed to capture and produce 3 t per day of high purity liquid CO2 from a slip stream of flue gases from a cement kiln. Process design is performed via Aspen Plus V14 simulations considering 30% w/w aqueous MEA as chemical solvent. More than 10 configurations featuring several modifications to the standard post-combustion process have been evaluated and characterized in terms of equivalent energy consumption. The process configuration featuring the integration of absorber intercooling, rich solvent split and lean vapor recompression is one of the most energy efficient and it reports a substantial reduction (18% savings) in the equivalent energy consumption compared to the conventional CO2 capture MEA process

https://zenodo.org/records/15372080

HERCCULES project: overview, objectives and early progress

HERCCULES is an Innovation Action under the Horizon Europe research programme aimed at demonstrating, for the first time, the feasibility of the entire CCUS chain in southern Europe at TRL 7-8. The project focuses mainly on decarbonizing two strategic clusters in northern Italy and Greece, specifically targeting two hard-to-abate sectors: cement production and energy from waste. To achieve this goal, significant effort is being directed towards piloting and demonstration activities. Three CO2 capture pilots are currently in the design phase; two will be installed in two cement plants and one in an EfW plant; three CO2 utilization pilots will be set up to test the mineralization of a portion of the captured CO2, and finally, the two most advanced CO2 storage sites in southern Europe, Ravenna (Italy) and Prinos (Greece), will be employed to conduct storage activities. Currently, the movable solvent-based Post-Combustion Capture pilot plant design and procurement has been completed, the construction phase is underway in a cement plant in Italy, and the plant is expected to be commissioned in the coming months. On the other hand, the development of the oxyfuel calcination pilot plant, which is important for demonstrating the novel hybrid process, is still under development. Furthermore, the design and detailed engineering of the integrated CaL+CPU pilot plant to be installed in an EfW plant in Italy have been completed, and the procurement phase is currently underway. Finally, to support the demonstration of technologies for CO2 mineralization and CaO-CaL by-product re-utilization, several natural and synthetic zeolite materials have been evaluated to support the design of the zeolite-based mineralization pilot. The mineralization plant's construction is underway, with its commissioning expected to be completed in the coming months.

https://zenodo.org/records/15371983

Calcium Looping (CaL): Commercialization of a Multiproduct Technology for Decarbonization of CO2-Intense Industries

Carbon capture (CC) as a climate mitigation tool is essential to reach Net-Zero emissions by 2050, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The calcium looping (CaL) process based on circulating fluidized beds (CFB) represents a competitive CC solution to reach CO2 reduction goals of CO2-intense industries. CFB-CaL was demonstrated during the 2010s in units of Sumitomo SHI FW`s (SFW) design, while focusing on the decarbonization of utilities operating with fossil fuels. SFW is now extending the technology demonstration to new applications, including biomass-based combined heat and power (BioCHP), Waste to Energy (WtE) or Energy from Waste (EfW), Cement and Iron & Steel, targeting the commercial demonstration for 2026-2027. The commercialization of SFW CaL+ is streamlined by exploiting the vast commercial experience in CFB technology proven by a track-record of over 500 CFB boilers delivered based on SFW technology. In this conference contribution we will showcase the specific advantages of the CaL process for decarbonization of CO2 intense industries, focusing on its application in the WtE/EfW sector.

https://zenodo.org/records/15371164

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE APPROACHES IN CC(U)S PROJECTS, EXAMPLES FROM THREE HORIZON EUROPE PROJECTS: HERCCULES, ENCASE and CaLby2030

This paper presents an overview of the results of research activities on public perceptions and citizens engagements in three research and innovation industrial projects related to CCUS technologies granted under the Horizon Europe (HE) programme: HERCCULES, ENCASE and CaLby2030. In particular, methodologies, approaches and first results from the current activities on society's and relevant stakeholders' perceptions of CCUS technologies, and examples of involvement of the society are described. While HERCCULES project includes social acceptance and community engagement and it reveals both opportunities and challenges for CCUS acceptance, ENCASE empathised the importance of co-creation process. In CaLby2030 the approach provides insight for considering local industrial dynamic and public perceptions, which can serve as a potential adaptation to the Emilia-Romagna context. Across all these three projects, it emerges that effective CCUS deployment requires not only technological innovation, but it demands a deep understanding of social perceptions, trust-building, and inclusive engagement strategies. These projects collectively show that a one-size-fits-all approach to social engagement is insufficient and engagement strategies must be tailored to the specific social, cultural, economic and political contexts of each region, and stakeholders priorities. The social activities in these projects aim to provide empiricallybased recommendations for the design of strategies for involving local communities and relevant local and regional stakeholders from the beginning of the process applicable also in the Emilia-Romagna region.

https://zenodo.org/records/15209478

State of the Art: CCS Technologies 2023

The compendium showcases a wide range of commercially available CCS technologies, providing readers with insights on the latest advancements made globally.

In this second annual release – led and coordinated by the Institute’s Matthew Loughrey, Hugh Barlow and Shahrzad Shahi – the compendium provides an overview of over 70 technologies and solutions, along with details surrounding key benefits and relevant facts and figures tied to the innovations highlighted.

One of the technologies is Calcium looping or CaL, and CaLby2030 and HERCCULES projects are featured

https://zenodo.org/records/14999382

Cosa sta facendo l'Europa per la decarbonizzazione del settore industriale? L'esempio di HERCCULES:

Article on Federbeton (within Confindustria (Confederation of Italian Industry), the Associations of the cement, concrete, manufactured products, components and structures for construction, applications and related technologies - Federbeton > Home) magazine - available in English upon request 

https://zenodo.org/record/8202404 

Cement sector decarbonisation: a HERCCULEan task?

Collaborative article published on International Cement review (ICR) magazine. Supported by the EU’s Horizon Europe initiative, the HERCCULES project aims to accelerate the scale-up of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies in Mediterranean Europe, demonstrating the feasibility of the entire CO2 CCUS value chain with a focus on energy-environmental performance, safety, optimisation of CO2 logistics, and economic and social acceptability aspects.

https://zenodo.org/records/10696074