What Litherm Technologies does

Litherm Technologies GmbH is a German deep-technology startup founded in 2019 and headquartered in Wernigerode, Saxony-Anhalt. The company is developing and commercializing a fully electric calcination process for the production of lime and cement clinker, intended to eliminate fossil-fuel combustion emissions and capture the unavoidable process CO2 released from limestone as a separable by-product suitable for CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) or CCU (Carbon Capture and Utilization). The core technology is an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor in which fine-grained raw material (limestone) is calcined using climate-neutral electricity, with superheated steam as the fluidization medium. By electrifying heat input and producing CO2 separately from flue gases, the process avoids nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon emissions entirely and removes the need for complex downstream CO2 separation from dilute flue streams — a key pain point in conventional decarbonization pathways. The technology is protected by a European patent granted in 2022/2023 and has been validated at lab scale; a pilot plant was constructed in 2024–2025 at the site of industrial partner Fels-Werke GmbH in Saxony-Anhalt, with trial operation commencing in 2026.

The company's go-to-market is enterprise-focused and consortium-driven. Litherm serves industrial lime producers and cement manufacturers as its two primary segments, targeting the 3 billion-tonne-CO2-per-year emissions footprint of these sectors (8% of global CO2 emissions). Revenue is intended to come from technology licensing/royalties and engineering/project services for demonstration plants built at partner sites. As of the input data, the company has raised over €6.5 million in a March 2026 seed round from a mix of industrial strategics (Graymont, Kalkfabrik Netstal AG, Fels-Werke GmbH) and climate-tech investors (bmp Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Foundation, SkreenHouse Ventures, Zeitinger Invest, UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators). The company remains pre-revenue with 1–10 employees, and its next milestone is to translate successful pilot trial operation into a first industrial-scale demonstration plant, then commercial licensing deployments.

The leadership team comprises co-founders Felix Nelles (Managing Director), Dr Thomas Stumpf, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus Goldbrunner, and Simon Reiter (Commercial Lead). Beyond the Wernigerode headquarters and pilot site, the company operates from a secondary Krefeld office and has begun hiring for a Munich-based presence, indicating a geographic expansion of commercial and engineering functions across Germany. The technology's relevance to climate policy and hard-to-abate industrial sectors positions Litherm within the broader industrial decarbonization investment thesis, with strategic value to incumbent lime/cement producers seeking defensible pathways to net-zero commitments.

Name

Litherm Technologies

Legal name

Litherm Technologies GmbH

Website

https://litherm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Litherm Technologies is a German deep-tech startup commercializing a patented fully electric fluidized bed calcination process to eliminate fossil-fuel emissions and capture unavoidable process CO2 in lime and cement production, serving industrial lime producers and cement manufacturers via technology licensing and consortium-based pilot deployments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Decarbonization Technology

NAICS

Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (332410), Lime Manufacturing (327410)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)

akta.pro primary industry

Solvent/Sorbent/Catalyst Materials & Capture Equipment Manufacturing (Absorbers, Strippers, Heat Exchangers) (EUAAALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Post-combustion Capture Systems (Solvent-based Amine & Advanced Solvents) (EUABAGAA)

Keywords

• Electric calcination technology
• Fluidized bed reactor systems
• Lime decarbonization solutions
• Cement decarbonization solutions
• Industrial CO2 capture

Headquarters

HQ city

Wernigerode

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Litherm licenses its fully electric calcination technology to industrial lime and cement producers. The company develops demonstration plants and licenses the technology for commercial deployment at customer facilities.
2. Engineering and Project Services: The company provides engineering services for the design and construction of demonstration plants, including pilot plant operations and modifications at partner sites.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Litherm Technologies develops and commercializes the patented Litherm Process, a fully electric calcination technology for CO2-emission-free production of lime and cement. The technology is based on an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor using superheated steam as the fluidization medium, which eliminates fossil fuel combustion and flue gas emissions while producing the unavoidable process CO2 from limestone as a clean by-product suitable for CCS or CCU. Revenue is generated through technology licensing and engineering/project services delivered to industrial lime and cement producers, with a pilot plant currently operating at Fels-Werke GmbH in Saxony-Anhalt ahead of commercial demonstration plants.

Product overview

Litherm Technologies offers a single unified product: the Litherm Process, a patented fully electric calcination technology for CO2-emission-free lime and cement production. The technology uses an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor where fine-grained raw material is calcined using climate-neutral electricity, with superheated steam as the fluidization medium. This eliminates fossil fuel emissions and flue gases entirely, while unavoidable process CO2 from limestone is produced as a by-product available for CCS (Carbon Capture Storage) or CCU (Carbon Capture Utilization). The company is currently operating a pilot plant at Fels-Werke GmbH in Saxony-Anhalt and preparing for demonstration plants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Litherm Process (Fully Electric Calcination Technology) Patented fully electric calcination technology that uses an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor with superheated steam as the fluidization medium to produce CO2-emission-free lime and cement, eliminating fossil fuel combustion and flue gas emissions while capturing unavoidable process CO2 as a clean by-product for CCS or CCU. Targeted at industrial lime and cement producers.
• Technology Licensing (Litherm Process) Commercial licensing of the Litherm Process to industrial lime and cement producers for deployment of fully electric calcination plants at their own sites, with royalties negotiated per project.
• Engineering and Pilot/Demonstration Plant Services Engineering and project services for the design, construction, and modification of pilot and demonstration plants for fully electric lime and cement calcination, delivered to industrial partners such as Fels-Werke GmbH.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cement and lime production accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions (3 billion tonnes annually)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GraymontcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Graymont is a leading lime production company and consortium member in the seed funding round. As an industrial partner, Graymont brings industry expertise and market access for the commercialization of Litherm's technology in the lime industry.
• Kalkfabrik Netstal AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Kalkfabrik Netstal AG, a Swiss lime producer, joined the funding consortium as an industrial partner. The company brings lime industry expertise and potential deployment opportunities for Litherm's technology.
• Fels-Werke GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Fels-Werke GmbH is an established industrial partner hosting Litherm's pilot plant at their site in Saxony-Anhalt. The partnership provides an industrial environment for testing and validating the fully electric calcination technology at scale.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Brimstone: Brimstone is developing carbon-negative Portland cement using calcium silicate-based binders; it competes for the same decarbonization mandate from cement producers but pursues an alternative chemistry pathway rather than electrified calcination.
• CarbonCure Technologies: CarbonCure injects captured CO₂ into fresh concrete to mineralize it, addressing cement/concrete-related emissions; it is a partial peer addressing carbon in the cement value chain via a different mechanism than Litherm's kiln-side capture.
• Solidia Technologies: Solidia Technologies develops CO₂-cured concrete and lower-carbon cement production processes, overlapping with Litherm in the broader decarbonization-of-cement theme but using a different binder/cure chemistry.

Broad incumbents

• Heidelberg Materials: Heidelberg Materials is one of the world's largest cement producers, actively piloting CCS and alternative-fuel/clinker technologies (including the Brevik CCS project); it represents both a potential customer and a competing internal R&D pathway for Litherm's technology.
• Holcim: Holcim is a global cement and aggregates leader with extensive decarbonization programs including CCS, calcined clay, and CCU; it is a key potential licensing customer and a competing incumbent pursuing parallel decarbonization routes.
• Cemex: Cemex is a global cement major with Vertua low-carbon products and active investment in CCS and alternative binders; it is a relevant incumbent customer/competitor for industrial decarbonization of cement.

Direct peers

• Leilac Technology: Leilac is developing low-emission intensity lime and cement technology using an indirectly heated calciner concept; it is the closest direct competitor to Litherm in electrified/decarbonized lime and cement calcination, targeting the same cement and lime producers across Europe.
• Calix: Calix is developing electrically-driven calcination technology (including its LEILAC-derived concepts) for lime and cement decarbonization, making it a direct technology peer competing for the same industrial lime customers.
• Graymont: Graymont is one of the largest lime producers in North America and a current strategic investor in Litherm; it is both a near-term licensing customer and a peer in lime calcination, actively pursuing its own decarbonization pathways.

Others

• CarbFix: CarbFix provides CO₂ mineralization-based storage technology; it is thematically related as a downstream CCS solution that could absorb the clean CO₂ by-product Litherm's process generates, making it an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/litherm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Litherm Technologies