Abstract
CURA is developing a new electrochemical pathway to eliminate process emissions from lime and cement production, two industries that together release more than 3 gigatonnes of CO₂ each year. In conventional kilns, limestone must be heated to nearly 1,000 °C, and the CO₂ released from the mineral lattice is chemically unavoidable. CURA replaces this calcination step with a room‑temperature electrochemical process that produces hydrated lime and pure CO₂. This enables up to 100% CO₂ capture for lime and 85% reduction for cement, all while using the same limestone quarries, plants, and supply chains already in place today.
At the core of the CURA process is a redox‑mediated electrochemical cycle that generates acid and base on‑site at ultra‑low voltage. A soluble mediator (“CURALYTE”) shuttles protons and hydroxide ions between electrodes, producing acid and base internally without the high overpotentials associated with direct water splitting. When applied to lime and cement production, the acid dissolves carbonate minerals to release pure CO₂, while the base precipitates high‑purity Ca(OH)₂. Because the mediator is continuously recycled, the system operates with minimal reagent consumption and without the thermal energy demands of calcination. This architecture transforms carbonate decomposition from a high‑temperature reaction into a low‑energy, electrically driven pathway.
The ability to generate acid and base electrochemically at low voltage has implications far beyond cement and lime. Metallurgical processes depend on large volumes of externally sourced reagents, and in many operations most embedded emissions originate in the supply chain rather than the process itself. CURA’s redox-mediated electrochemistry enables low‑carbon, on‑site production of acid and base, supporting selective mineral dissolution, controlled precipitation, and the treatment of complex ores, residues, and tailings. In this presentation, the CURA process will be described, with emphasis on redox‑mediated chemistry, its application to lime and cement, and the broader potential for low‑carbon reagent generation in metallurgical systems.