Electric Thermal Batteries Move from MIT Labs to Cement Factory Floor

The cement sector accounts for roughly 8% of global carbon emissions, and technology developed at MIT is now moving from demonstration to industrial deployment. Electrified Thermal Solutions (ETS) has announced the completed installation of two Joule Hive electric thermal battery units at a Holcim cement plant, with Holcim becoming the company’s third global industrial partner.

The Joule Hive system generates process heat up to 1,800°C without any gas flame, relying on fire bricks whose modified chemical structure — enriched with metal oxides — enables them to carry electrical current. Prior to this installation, the technology had accumulated more than 1,000 hours of successful operation at a commercial demonstration facility in San Antonio.

ETS describes kiln electrification as the most direct path to reducing cement’s fuel-related emissions. The system is rated at 95% efficiency and can sustain heat storage for up to three days. One notable constraint: heat electrification addresses only the combustion-related portion of cement’s carbon footprint, since a significant share of CO₂ is also released directly during the chemical conversion of limestone — a chemically driven process separate from fuel use.

A parallel deployment is taking shape in Kentucky, where Ashland has secured a US Department of Energy grant of up to $35 million for its ISP Chemicals plant. The funding is intended to replace methane boilers with Joule Hive thermal batteries for steam generation — a switch the DOE projects could reduce site emissions by close to 70%.

Source: CleanTechnica