by: Kayla Carey, Zach Harmer, Dan Nugent, and Trevor Mueller | May 14, 2024
The IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference is a prestigious event that gathers cement and concrete industry professionals to collaborate, learn, and network. Our team shares their key insights from the conference below:
The approach to encourage emissions reductions in the cement sector is growing.
Government-led climate action is at an all-time high, from increased federal funding for industrial decarbonization to 45 states building out climate action plans and associated interventions, such as the Cap-and-Invest Program in Washington. The increased funding available and emerging regulatory pressures have contributed to industry-wide momentum towards decarbonization.
Cement companies will leverage various technologies to decarbonize, including blended cements, alternative fuels, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).
Cement facilities can achieve significant emissions reductions by replacing clinker (the binding ingredient in Portland cement) with lower carbon-intensity binders (e.g., natural pozzolans, harvested fly ash) and displacing traditional kiln fuel with alternative fuels. Several companies are also exploring and, in some cases, implementing the use of CCUS at existing facilities. The cement sector plans to leverage all three of these solutions and more to achieve decarbonization.
Several barriers impede the widespread adoption of these decarbonization technologies.
The industry encounters numerous challenges in scaling and utilizing low-carbon technologies. The barriers to scaling include limited market awareness and acceptance of new materials, insufficient standards, high costs, and inadequate supplementary cementitious material supply. Utilization barriers include the need for further technology development and lengthy and complicated permitting. Despite these barriers, the cement sector remains steadfast in its commitment to carbon neutrality.
The cement industry is developing strategies to actively engage with all stakeholders to achieve net-zero goals.
Effective stakeholder collaboration is essential for the cement industry to achieve its target of carbon neutrality by 2050. A collaborative effort is vital for sharing knowledge, establishing regulatory frameworks, specifications, and standards conducive to success, and eliminating obstacles to decarbonization. The Portland Cement Association (PCA) is a key example of a group that brings industry stakeholders together and facilitates productive discussions to support the sector’s growth.
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