Fives and startup NOC Energy are teaming up to accelerate optimized energy use and the decarbonization of the cement industry. By integrating the latter’s NOC Cell on Fives FCB clay calcination pilot plant, the two partners are exploring a new pathway for the decarbonization of high-temperature thermal processes.
The NOC Cell is a modular thermal battery capable of converting renewable or decarbonized electricity into clean industrial heat at temperatures up to 1500°C. One single 10-MW module is said to be able to avoid up to 20,000 tons of CO 2 emissions per year.
“Fives FCB has built its history on breakthrough innovations that have profoundly transformed cement production. By hosting the NOC Cell on our pilot facility, we are once again placing our expertise at the service of highly promising technology,” said Alain Cordonnier, president of Fives FCB. “Our role is clear: to help this solution reach industrial maturity – and to accelerate the energy transition and the real decarbonization of the cement processes.”
The demonstration at Fives’ pilot plant aims to validate the integration of the NOC Cell into the clay calcination process and to facilitate its deployment at industrial scale. Beyond this application, the solution can also be deployed in other industrial processes involving supplementary cementitious materials, such as fly ash or blast furnace slag. In the longer term, noted Fives, the technology could be considered for powering rotary kilns.
