Achieving net-zero cement through carbon capture and fuel switching
Daniele Ferrario, Tobias Pröll, Stefano Stendardo, Andrea Lanzini
Abstract
The cement industry is responsible for around 6–7 % of the global anthropogenic GHG emissions. However, traditional decarbonization techniques cannot guarantee a large reduction in CO 2 emissions, thus Carbon Capture and Storage is needed to reach a near- or net-zero target. This work analyses different net-zero cement production configurations, considering some of the most promising and technologically mature solutions: Post-combustion Carbon Capture (PCCC), Direct Air Capture (DAC), and fuel switching to Refuse-Derived Fuels (RDF). These configurations have been evaluated from an energy and economic perspective, through the estimation of the primary energy demand, which ranges from 6.6 GJ/t cem to 10.3 GJ/t cem , and of the production cost, which falls into the 65 €/t cem to 224 €/t cem range. The results show that the combination of different techniques can lead to both energy and cost-effective solutions. In detail, the integration of PCCC in an RDF-fired production plant leads to promising economic and energy performance. • RDF combustion alone leads to a slight reduction in CO 2 emissions • To reach net-zero CO 2 emissions in cement production PCCC is not sufficient • Achieving net-zero through CCS entails an increase in cost and energy demand • Net-zero solution based mostly on DAC leads to the highest costs • Combination of PCCC and RDF combustion achieves net-zero at the lowest costs