Carbon compliance is costing cement manufacturers millions.
RECEM is developing a certified cement additive from sewage sludge ash, helping manufacturers reduce emissions and cut carbon costs.
The cement industry is under pressure from every direction.
CO₂ compliance is becoming a real cost
Free carbon allowances are being phased out. From 2026 to 2034, cement manufacturers will face the full EU ETS carbon price on every tonne they produce. At current prices, that means millions in additional costs per plant per year.
Cement is one of the largest sources of industrial CO₂
Cement production accounts for around 8% of global CO₂ emissions. A large share of those emissions are released chemically when limestone is heated to produce clinker, making cement one of the hardest industries to decarbonise.
EU wastewater regulation is creating a new material stream
The EU Sewage Sludge Directive mandates phosphorus recovery from wastewater treatment. The byproduct of that process is sewage sludge ash, a material currently without a clear industrial destination.
Sewage Sludge Ash → Certified SCM
A supplementary cementitious material (SCM) partially replaces clinker, the most carbon-intensive step in cement production. RECEM develops a process to convert phosphorus-depleted sewage sludge ash into exactly that: a certified SCM that meets European standards and can be adopted directly by cement manufacturers.
The result is circular: wastewater utilities get a compliant disposal pathway, cement producers get a verifiable CO₂ reduction tool, and a significant waste stream gets a productive end use.
Clinker replacement potential with certified SCMs in standard Portland cement
CO₂ emissions avoided per tonne of clinker displaced by a certified SCM
Sewage sludge ash generated in Austria alone, a feedstock with no current end market
Why Now?
EU ETS: Full Carbon Costs from 2026
Free allowances for cement producers are being phased out. Every tonne of clinker replaced by a certified SCM reduces direct carbon cost exposure. For the first time, the financial case for clinker substitution is structural, not voluntary.
Sewage Sludge Directive: 2027 Deadline
Mandatory phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge will generate a growing and predictable stream of sewage sludge ash across the EU. Wastewater utilities are actively looking for compliant disposal pathways for this material.
Building RECEM
Eva-Maria Schneider
Sustainability & Strategy
Thomas Eder
Design & Business Development
Jasmin Grill
Marketing & Growth
Valerie Dokonal
Operations & Business Development
- +Open Role
Technical Co-Founder
Materials Science · Cement Chemistry · Open Position
Looking for a Materials Scientist or Chemist to Build This with Us
We are building RECEM from the ground up and we are looking for someone who wants to be part of it from the very beginning.
We are looking for a technical co-founder with a background in materials science, geopolymer chemistry, or cement engineering: someone who wants to lead R&D and build a category-defining company from the ground up. Real equity, real ownership, and a problem worth solving.
If you have worked on supplementary cementitious materials, calcium silicate hydrates, or industrial waste valorisation, or simply believe this problem deserves to be solved, we want to hear from you.
Let's talk.
Co-founder conversation, incubator intro, or just curious. We're open.