Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA)

40 Decarbonisation of the Cement Industry Needs Carbon Capture Technologies Dr S N Pati, Director NICE Consultants ABSTRACT The present business demands sustainability in any market-driven world. By the aspirations of various environmental management tools like Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and their realignment in the system to achieve long-term global goals and targets. The threat of climate change is a serious global concern. Excessive emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere have resulted in global warming. Carbon dioxide is the major greenhouse gas and is the prime reason for global warming. The global cement industry is one of the major sources of carbon dioxide corresponding to 7% of global anthropogenic emissions. Decarbonization of the cement industry is vital. An overview of the current state and trends of carbon mitigation technologies for carbon capture utilisation and storage and their strategies for the cement industry is discussed. At present all cement plants emit much more carbon dioxide than they can reduce before being released into the atmosphere by a single means. Carbon capture technology is the key technology to reduce carbon dioxide from the cement industry. The government of India’s assistance for carbon capture technology in terms of policy, financial incentives and technological intervention for the Indian cement sector is required for the transition phase. The cement industry has no single dominant technology for decarbonisation that is viable at present, all direct measures in the process along with the add-on CCUS technology option remain of importance. Hence, a multipronged approach for CO 2 reduction is essential as the cement industry is local in nature with captive limestone mines. Individual plants need to take up detailed studies in collaboration with research and technology groups.