Carbon reduction path of cement industry

In the case of declining demand, improved energy efficiency, and alternative fuels, there is still a large gap between the expected carbon reduction results and the carbon reduction target under the 1.5 ° C scenario, and the support of emerging technologies is needed. Given the characteristics of clinker process emissions in cement production, in the absence of mass replacement of clinker by emerging technologies, carbon capture and storage (CCS) will be the only option for the cement industry to achieve carbon neutrality and is expected to contribute approximately 50% of the industry's carbon reduction by 2050. CCS requires matching geological conditions, such as proximity to declining oil fields, saltwater formations, etc. Moreover, due to the small scale and scattered locations of cement plants, it is difficult for a single enterprise to undertake large-scale CCS infrastructure construction, so it can be considered to participate in the "CCS industrial park" model, and carry out pilot projects with other industries that rely on CCS technology to reduce emissions (such as steel, coal power, etc.). For example, trials can start from Hebei or Shandong, where the industry concentration is high.

A leading cement production company in China launched China's first cement CCS demonstration project in the second half of 2018 (Figure 3), which is currently the only cement company CCS project in China. With an investment of more than 50 million yuan, the CCS project will capture about 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year with a capture rate of about 1/30, making it a small-scale pilot project. The future CCS pilot in the cement industry will focus on innovative breakthroughs in capture technology, a substantial increase in the scale of capture, and the gradual construction of the CCS industry chain.

Enlightenment to cement enterprises

Capture the business model change opportunities brought about by the low-carbon trend, and actively adapt to downstream trends: cement companies should rethink their product structure, partnerships and their value in the entire construction industry, assess the changes in demand of major downstream customers such as construction developers in a low-carbon environment, and layout new growth opportunities as soon as possible. For example, cement companies can consider promoting technology research and development and enterprise acquisition in the field of alternative building materials, and advance layout of new building materials, building information models, and prefabricated and modular building solutions that may appear in the downstream builders, combining production and building information models to expand more business possibilities downstream. For the future access to sustainable fuel sources (such as biomass), cement companies should be positioned as early as possible according to the characteristics of the region, because other industries will also participate in the carbon neutral race and also want to achieve carbon reduction targets through sustainable fuels.

Under the theme of high-quality development in the "14th Five-Year Plan", vigorously promote the operational transformation of "low-carbon + digital", and improve efficiency to the extreme: deeply understand the impact of the national carbon emission reduction target on the cement industry chain during the "14th Five-Year Plan", and actively carry out end-to-end carbon footprint assessment and emission reduction cost curve assessment; Combine digital operations with low-carbon transformation, using artificial intelligence and machine learning to reduce volatility and improve energy efficiency in the production process, and reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions while continuously improving operational efficiency. For example, a European cement producer achieved fuel savings of 6% by creating a self-learning model of the kiln heat curve to optimize the shape and intensity of the kiln flame. The leading cement companies of the future can outperform their competitors through "low-carbon + digital" operations.

Pay attention to the medium - and long-term impact of low-carbon trends on the ecology of the cement industry, and explore possible new opportunities for green growth: keep track of new materials, new processes and new emission reduction technologies and other fields, carry out pilot projects under the premise of conditions, and obtain the advantage of the first mover in the development of the industry. For the possible "green premium" of emerging green products in the industrial chain, by developing corresponding "low carbon and zero carbon product lines", we will win reputation from environmentally conscious customers. In the future, the ecology of the cement industry may be reshaped by the trend of carbon neutrality, and the way to turn crisis into opportunity is to lay out innovative technologies in advance.