Dietram Oppelt’s Post

In today’s #BrookfieldGoingThere post, we’re focusing on #cement — one of the hardest industries to decarbonize. If cement were a country, it would be the world’s third-largest emitter. On top of that, cement is an essential material with no readily available and cost-effective replacements.     While cement makers can (and are) taking steps to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and curb emissions, the core of the problem remains: There is no way to produce cement without producing carbon.   This makes the cement industry one of the best candidates for carbon capture technologies. See below for examples of how some companies are decarbonizing their cement-related operations.  

A lot of work to be done on cement.

As one of the largest industrial sources of COS emission globally, the cement industry has an important role to play when it comes to reaching global reduction targets by 2050. Here's a recent article posted on Manufacturing Today unpacking the road ahead for the industry ➡ https://bit.ly/3VKKsmQ #CCS #carboncapture #KC8 #cementindustry #netzero #lowemissions

A³&Co.® examines the urgent decarbonization challenges facing the MENA cement sector in the September edition of Cement and Building Material Review by AUCBM UACMC. Titled The MENA Cement Sector’s Race Against Carbon, the article outlines A³&Co.®'s comprehensive solution for achieving decarbonization targets while reducing operational costs. From technological innovations to circular economy strategies, we present real-world case studies showcasing how our Complete Decarbonization Solution® drives both economic and environmental benefits, helping the sector lead in sustainability without compromising profitability. Explore the full piece: https://lnkd.in/dN2isJvM #Decarbonization #Cement #NearZero #NetZero #DigitalMaturity #CompleteDecarbonizationSolution #GreenCement #CircularEconomy #FutureCementPlan #A3Co

3 gigatons.   It's the annual amount of carbon emissions produced byn the #cement industry. This represents around 8% of total CO2 emissions worldwide.   ❌ In the absence of any abatement action, global growth in demand for concrete is forecast to result in 3.8 gigatons of annual CO2 emissions by 2050.   ➡️ The only realistic way to fully abate those emissions and meet the industry’s 2050 #netzero goals involves scaling carbon capture and storage (CCS) to an industrial level. By 2050, more than a third of the industry’s emissions will have to be abated with CCS, requiring an estimated 1.4 gigatons of CO2 in CCS capacity.   💸 This will drive a significant increase in the price of cement, from the current $90-$130 per ton to at least $160-$240 by 2050.   Benefiting from optimal CCS costs will become an increasingly important competitive factor for companies.   🏗 Cement producers looking to maintain or gain a competitive advantage in a changing industry must make critical decisions today regarding how they will allocate capital, innovate, and determine their strategies for success in a net zero future.   📖 Our new BCG report outlines key steps for cement players to navigate this transition.   If you want to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ewrQC_w8   Guillaume Ricome Marta Guzzafame Jason Degnan-Rojeski Ishang Jawa

Cement Decarbonization: a complex but crucial challenge Cement production alone contributes to approximately 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Ritchie, 2020). Finding alternative solutions to reduce these emissions is a significant challenge. To address this, there have been investments in various approaches, including: 💡 Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs): These materials can partially replace traditional cement, reducing CO2 emissions during production. 💡Alternative Cement Forms: Innovations in cement formulations can lead to lower carbon footprints. 💡Process Improvements: Enhancing the efficiency of cement production processes can reduce emissions. 💡Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) Technologies: These technologies capture CO2 emissions from cement production and repurpose them, reducing the overall carbon impact. Given the urgency, simultaneous investment in all these avenues is essential. This is evident in the presence of organizations at various technology readiness levels within each approach, and additional innovative solutions may likely emerge in the near future. Broadly investing across these diverse solutions is crucial for effectively mitigating CO2 emissions from cement production Discover all this and more in our market research piece. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dUw5CUsw #climatetech #cement #concrete #decarbonisation #trl

Electrification is increasingly being mentioned in discussions around the decarbonization of cement. Read: https://ow.ly/JUQy50SkcYM #cementindustry #cementkiln #cementproduction #ECoClay

Ready mixed: How Europe's largest cement producers are rapidly cutting their Scope 1 emissions Europe’s cement industry emits 110 Mt CO2 per annum, accounting for 8.2% of EU ETS verified emissions. Cement comes a close second to the iron and steel industry as the industry with the highest emissions in the EU. The sector is commonly thought of as one of the ‘hard-to-abate’ industries, and as such it is generally expected to struggle to cut emissions in line with the drop in the EU ETS cap. The upshot is that the cement sector is assumed to need much higher carbon prices to decarbonise. Europe’s cement industry is also highly concentrated; three companies (Heidelberg Materials, Holcim, and CEMEX) accounted for almost half (47%) of EU-27 production capacity in 2022. Investments in decarbonisation are already beginning to have a big impact on carbon intensity, and there's much more on the way. #carbonmarkets https://lnkd.in/djh2_puQ

#Cement is a cornerstone of Europe's economy and infrastructure, supporting 35,000 jobs and boasting 200 integrated plants across the EU. As we move towards a sustainable future, decarbonising cement production is crucial. 🏭 With 175 Mt of cement produced annually, we are committed to reducing CO2 emissions through strategic innovation. Check out over 💯 transformative projects on our interactive map of #innovation projects and explore our updated roadmap. 🗺️ Visit our map of innovation projects: https://lnkd.in/gEJvUa7R 👉 Explore the updated roadmap: https://lnkd.in/dpe97puD #Cement2050

As a hard-to-abate sector, you would be forgiven to think that cement emissions will be almost impossible to reduce to the sector’s #netzero goal by 2050. But by adopting tried-and-tested #decarbonization levers in the short term and leveraging Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to address the remaining 30% of emissions over the long term, it is possible. But there’s a catch—scaling #CCS to meet the #cement sector’s net-zero targets will require an eye-watering 👀 $1 trillion in capital deployment over the next 25 years, profoundly changing the cement industry’s cost structures and supply chains. CCS is expected to drive the price per ton of cement from $90–$130 today to $160–$240 by 2050. The cement producers that manage to keep CCS costs down will have a competitive edge. While proximity to demand centers is today's strategic advantage for cement producers, by 2050, proximity to CO2 storage sites and access to low energy costs will determine competitiveness. For producers looking to cement, to gain or maintain a competitive advantage, we suggest you consider these questions: Do you have a decarbonization roadmap and a green go-to-market and innovation strategy? Are you tracking CCS policy trends? How can your plant footprint evolve with the sector? How will you manage high CCS capital costs? Given the high costs associated with CCS, R&D in cement formulation and innovation around potential alternatives will become increasingly essential. Each player should intensify efforts to pursue new solutions, while keeping an eye on external innovations and the potentially disruptive technologies emerging in the market. Thanks to Guillaume Ricome, Marta Guzzafame, Jason Degnan-Rojeski and Ishang Jawa for laying the groundwork for a net zero future in the cement sector: https://lnkd.in/eNABkEQB