Paving the way for sustainable decarbonization of the European cement industry
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13110825 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Otávio Cavalett (0000-0003-4805-2881, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, corresponding author), Marcos Djun Barbosa Watanabe (0000-0001-9818-7405, Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Mari Voldsund (0000-0001-9812-2898, SINTEF), Simon Roussanaly (0000-0002-4757-2829, SINTEF), Francesco Cherubini (0000-0002-7147-4292, Norwegian University of Science and Technology) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 568-580 |
| Publication date | 2024-03-28 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Nature Sustainability (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2398-9629 • E-ISSN: 2398-9629 |
| Publisher | Nature Portfolio (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41893-024-01320-y |
| OpenAlex | W4393261718 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 74 |
Cement production is a main source of carbon emissions. Decarbonization options exist, but their climate change mitigation potential, feasibility and environmental implications are still unclear. Here we assess 15 decarbonization options for the European cement industry under current and future conditions. Climate impacts per tonne of clinker produced today in European countries vary between 832 and 1,075 kg CO 2 -equivalents. Decarbonization options at various maturity levels can mitigate between 7 and 135 Mt CO 2 -equivalents per year (4–108% of today’s annual emissions from European cement plants), with a range of synergies and trade-offs. Solutions such as alternative fuels or technological improvements reduce climate impacts up to 30%, while a mix of ambitious complementary measures achieves a mitigation of about 50% by 2050. Only rapid and large-scale implementation of carbon capture and storage can approach climate neutrality. Carbon capture for production of e-fuels presents no significant mitigation benefits while it increases other environmental impacts
Business · Cement · Economics · Metallurgy · Natural resource economics · Waste management · Engineering · Environmental Impact and Sustainability · Environmental Science · Extraction and Separation Processes · Materials Science · Sustainable Industrial Ecology
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| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |