On July 1^th and 2^nd, 2025, the Buzzi Unicem plant in Vernasca (Italy) hosted the second annual meeting of the European project HERCCULES, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of the carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) value chain in Southern Europe.

Coordinated by the LEAP Institute of Piacenza, the project brings together 25 international partners, including academic, technological, and industrial organizations. Over the course of the two-day event, around 60 participants gathered in the plant’s new conference hall for an active exchange of presentations, working sessions, and technical visits.

Among the speakers was Sara Irico, researcher at Built – Buzzi Innovation Lab and Technology, who gave a presentation on “CO₂ utilization & resource circularity”, highlighting Buzzi’s strong commitment to innovation and sustainability.

The Vernasca plant plays a central role in the project, hosting two pilot demonstration units:

• a solvent-based CO₂ capture unit, already built and soon to be operational;
• a fluidized bed system for CO₂ adsorption on natural zeolites, which will subsequently be used as supplementary cementitious materials.

Particularly appreciated was the guided tour of the cement production facilities and the CO₂ capture unit developed by Tecno Project Industriale (TPI), part of the SIAD Group and one of the project's technology partners.

Launched in 2023, HERCCULES includes among its key milestones:

• three industrial-scale CO₂ capture units, located at the cement plants in Vernasca (Italy) and Thessaloniki (Greece), and at a waste-to-energy plant in Milan (Italy);
• two units dedicated to CO₂ utilization, aimed at testing innovative and circular solutions in industrial settings.

To learn more: herccules.eu