Carbon Capture for Cement Production

Carbon capture is widely seen as one of the best methods for industry to cut emissions and many are aware of the significant reductions it can deliver. The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), for example, recently laid out a carbon reduction roadmap on behalf of 38 major producers across the world. CC has a central role in the plan, suggesting that 36% of the cement industry’s emissions can be addressed directly by carbon capture.

However, commercial-scale deployment of carbon capture solutions has been an ongoing challenge, with only a few having been tested at scale in the field. The only technology that has achieved this so far is amine gas treatment, sometimes called ‘carbon scrubbing`. But, getting the infrastructure in place for amine solutions can be disruptive, not to mention expensive if it hasn’t been costed-in when a facility is first designed.??

The commercial risk when using amine is only made worse by the high amounts of energy required when using it to strip CO2 from a gas stream. One 2020 study from the Carbon Science and Technology Institute found that regenerating solvent on its own contributes 50%-80% of the total energy requirement. These solvents are also typically corrosive, chemically unstable and lead to further environmental complications due to amine slip.?? These issues further complicate CC, making it harder to convince decision-makers that it’s worth pursuing in the first place.