Tree Associates to Launch Groundbreaking Carbon Capture Pilot in Ukraine Backed by UK Development Partners.
At a time when global decarbonisation efforts are accelerating, heavy industry is reaching a defining moment. Some sectors can electrify, redesign processes, or transition to new fuels. But others—particularly cement and clinker production—are bound by emissions that are fundamentally unavoidable.
These emissions stem directly from chemistry, not energy choices. Every tonne of clinker produced releases roughly 0.717 tonnes of CO2 as limestone breaks down during calcination.
For decades, these “process emissions” have been considered the hardest of the hard to eliminate.
Tree believes that is about to change.
We are preparing to deliver a groundbreaking carbon capture pilot in Ukraine, developed in close collaboration with IFCEM, one of the nation’s leading cement producers, and supported by Innovate Ukraine, the FCDO and UK International Development. This upcoming project aims to demonstrate that meaningful decarbonisation is not a distant ambition, but an achievable reality—one that can be deployed in regions facing complex, real-world operational challenges.
While the physical pilot will begin in the coming months, the foundational work—the modelling, engineering, and validation—has already provided compelling evidence that this approach can transform how the cement industry tackles its most stubborn emissions. This next phase represents a significant step forward in turning that potential into practical impact.
A New Approach to an Old Problem
Cement is the backbone of global development: it underpins our cities, infrastructure, and the built environment. At the heart of every structure lies clinker, the key ingredient binding concrete. But clinker production is also one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industrial processes.
Even with modern kilns and fuel efficiencies, process emissions remain unavoidable. They emerge from the chemical conversion of limestone itself, making them immune to traditional decarbonisation pathways.
For years, the only viable mitigation strategy has been carbon capture—but existing technologies have struggled to offer a scalable, affordable solution. Amine-based systems, the long-standing industry standard, are:
Energy-intensive (typically 1.2–1.4 kW/kg CO2)
Dependent on substantial water supplies
Vulnerable to contaminants like NOx and SOx
Operationally complex
Limited by the fact they produce gaseous CO2 requiring costly compression and liquefaction
These barriers have long restricted adoption.
Tree set out to rethink the fundamental principles of carbon capture for heavy industry.
A Breakthrough in Carbon Capture Efficiency
Our upcoming pilot is based on Tree’s next-generation carbon capture system - a next generation CCS technology developed to address the shortcomings of first generation approaches and deliver a more efficient, resilient, and cost-effective alternative.
Drawing on advanced thermodynamic engineering and proprietary expander technology, the system offers a step-change in industrial performance.
Where first-generation amine systems typically require 1.2–1.4 kW to capture each kilogram of CO2, our next-generation technology cuts that energy demand by more than 40% before compression of the amine captured CO2 is even considered. And once you factor in the additional energy required to compress and liquefy CO2 from an amine process, the comparison becomes even more stark—our system operates in an entirely different cost class.
This is not a marginal gain—it is a new category of efficiency.
The system is designed to maintain a 95% capture rate, even when processing flue gases rich in standard kiln contaminants. Unlike amine systems, which require costly scrubbing for NOx and SOx, our technology is unaffected by them.
One of the system’s most significant advantages is that CO2 is captured directly as a high-purity liquid—at up to 99.81% purity—eliminating the need for secondary liquefaction equipment and the considerable energy that entails.
The result is a system that promises to be simpler, cleaner, more economical, easier to integrate, and better suited to the realities of industrial operations.
Validated Through Digital Twin Modelling
The groundwork for the Ukraine pilot has been laid through an extensive digital twin model, built using real-world emissions data from active clinker kilns, and using known physics.
This environment allowed the Tree engineering teams to:
Test and refine system behaviour under realistic kiln operating conditions
Model fluctuating loads and emissions profiles
Optimise energy consumption at detailed process levels
Validate capture performance and CO2 purity under industrial constraints
The digital model did more than confirm technical feasibility - it demonstrated that the technology is robust enough to handle precisely the challenges that have limited previous carbon capture attempts.
This modelling now forms the foundation for the construction and deployment of the upcoming pilot.
Why Ukraine? Why IFCEM?
The decision to prepare our first pilot deployment in Ukraine is both practical and deeply meaningful.
Although the country remains at war, planning for its future reconstruction has already begun. When large-scale rebuilding does commence, cement and clinker production will play a critical role in restoring homes, infrastructure, industry, and vital public services. Ensuring that this reconstruction can be delivered with significantly lower emissions will be essential—not only for environmental responsibility, but also for long-term economic alignment with European markets.
Ukrainian manufacturers must also anticipate the requirements of international regulatory frameworks such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). This means they need credible, measurable pathways to reduce process emissions, even before reconstruction efforts fully scale.
Against this backdrop, IFCEM, one of Ukraine’s leading cement producers, has shown remarkable foresight by partnering with Tree. Their willingness to explore next-generation carbon capture during such a challenging period demonstrates a strong commitment to modernising the industry and preparing for a lower-carbon future.
Operating in Ukraine presents unique logistical, operational, and infrastructural challenges. But that is precisely why this pilot matters: proving the technology in such a demanding environment will demonstrate its resilience, adaptability, and real-world practicality.
In short: if the system can succeed in Ukraine, it can succeed anywhere.
Support from Innovate Ukraine, the FCDO and UK International Development
The involvement of Innovate Ukraine reinforces the significance of this project. Their support reflects confidence in the technology and recognition of its potential to contribute to meaningful industrial decarbonisation.
Innovate Ukraine brings:
Critical funding to accelerate development
Independent validation of the project’s vision and relevance
A platform for UK-originated innovation to scale internationally
Visibility within global clean technology networks
This backing strengthens the collaborative ecosystem behind the project and supports the transition from modelling to real-world deployment.
Economic and Environmental Benefits for Clinker Producers
The technology we are preparing to deploy offers a compelling set of advantages for clinker producers looking for practical and economically viable decarbonisation pathways.
Instead of relying on the continual purchase of carbon credits, producers can achieve real, measurable reductions in emissions—reductions that count, that are verifiable, and that directly support compliance with emerging global regulations. And where many existing carbon capture systems demand significant volumes of water, ours requires none at all, eliminating both an environmental burden and a major operational dependency.
The benefits extend further. Traditional systems often require substantial investment in liquefaction equipment because they deliver CO₂ in gaseous form. Our approach captures CO₂ directly as a high-purity liquid, removing an entire layer of cost and complexity. At the same time, the system’s tolerance to NOx and SOx means operators no longer need to worry about flue-gas contaminants undermining performance or adding expensive preprocessing steps.
The result is CO₂ that is not only cleaner, but quantifiable and auditable—a crucial requirement for frameworks such as the EU’s CBAM, where transparency and traceability are essential.
Taken together, these advantages create a pathway toward a clinker industry that is cleaner, more resilient, and more economically competitive—one that can meet the demands of a rapidly changing regulatory landscape while improving operational efficiency.
A Blueprint for Global Deployment
As Tree Associates, IFCEM, and Innovate Ukraine move toward the construction and commissioning of the pilot over the coming months, the project is designed not just to validate the technology, but to serve as a template for global replication.
The aim is simple:
to provide cement and clinker producers worldwide with a credible, practical, and scalable means of capturing unavoidable emissions.
With process emissions accounting for one of the largest industrial climate challenges, this work is essential. The world cannot meet its decarbonisation targets without transforming how cement is produced. This project is a step toward making that transformation not only possible, but practical.
A Turning Point for Industrial Decarbonisation
While the pilot itself is upcoming, the vision is clear. By combining breakthrough engineering with strong international partnerships, Tree Associates is helping close the gap between what is needed and what is possible.
With IFCEM’s leadership and Innovate Ukraine’s support, the next phase of this project will demonstrate carbon capture that is:
measurable
reliable
economical
Environmentally safe and resilient
and deployable at scale
This is more than progress.
It is the beginning of a new era in industrial decarbonisation—one where essential industries can keep building the world, without costing the earth.
