Firms hail breakthrough with new fibre cement recycling process

Both companies have hailed the Cemloop XL project as a major step towards circular construction.

Image courtesy of Etex

Co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme, Cemloop XL combines two technologies: a recycling process developed by Etex, in collaboration with the Jacobs Group, to convert fibre cement waste into a material known as Recycled Fibre Cement Paste (RFCP); and a process by Heidelberg Materials called CCLIX that upgrades this material through enforced carbonation using CO₂ captured from its cement kiln exhaust gases.

The resulting product, carbonated RFCP, can partially replace clinker in low-carbon cement production, reducing CO₂ emissions by an estimated 20% and energy use by 15%. Etex’s new recycling facility in Hemiksem, Belgium, is due to be completed by mid-2026, while Heidelberg Materials plans to install a dedicated carbonation reactor at its Lixhe cement plant by 2028.

The partners say the initiative is a closed-loop solution that could prevent around 60,000 tonnes of fibre cement waste and save 100,000 tonnes of raw limestone annually.

The EU LIFE funding agreement for the project was signed in June 2025, recognising its potential as a model for large-scale circularity in building materials manufacturing.