lesscement

Decarbonisation  

The cement industry needs to take urgent action now. 

The energy-intensive nature of cement production accounts for one-third of its emissions, and significant strides have been made in lowering these emissions by adopting alternative fuels, improving kiln efficiency, and utilizing renewable energy for electrification. However, there has been little innovation in reducing process emissions, which make up two-thirds of the emissions linked to cement production. These emissions are an inevitable result of the chemical reaction when limestone decarbonizes to form clinker, the primary component of cement.  

How?  

Find already treated raw/waste materials, which correspond to about one-third of the emissions coming directly from traditional cement production.

Then, work on the remaining two-third by reducing the process emissions. ‍ 

Capture the CO2 produced using a nature based solution or an artificial system like a Direct Air Capture or Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage. 

Or better, emit less CO2 by producing low carbon cements which have low or zero levels of clinker content – the key source of CO2 emissions – known as clinker substitution 

In recent years, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) has become central to reducing emissions in large-scale processes. Although CCUS is crucial for any long-term plan to decarbonize the cement industry, it encounters several obstacles. It is extremely costly, applicable to only a limited number of cement plants, lacks commercial validation, and is unlikely to be widely implemented before the late 2030s. 

Meanwhile, the UN Environmental Programme report, High-Filler Cements: Potential economically viable solutions for a low-CO2 cement based materials industry, UN Environmental Programme, describes low-clinker cement technologies are the most straightforward way to reduce the carbon footprint of the cement industry. These technologies offer cost-effective, scalable, and immediate solutions to the significant problem of emissions from the clinker process. They achieve this while preserving and even enhancing the technical qualities of concrete, such as its mechanical strength and durability. Crucially, by maximizing the use of low-clinker, low-carbon cements, the reliance on CCUS will be significantly diminished, as much less CO2 is generated from the start. 

Although low-clinker, low-carbon cements have been on the market for many years, scaling them has been a challenge for the industry. Lesscement is a revolutionary technology bBecause it can be mixed in any ratio, thus it enhances the low carbon advantages of both traditionally used and new low carbon cements, enabling them to scale.