Towards a business case for CO2 mineralisation in the cement industry

Till Strunge*, Phil Renforth, Mijndert Van der Spek

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)
28 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The cement industry, an industry characterised by low margins, is responsible for approximately 7% of anthropogenic CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions and holds the highest carbon intensity of any industry per unit of revenue. To encourage complete decarbonisation of the cement industry, strategies must be found in which CO2e emission reductions are incentivised. Here we show through integrated techno-economic modelling that CO2 mineralisation of silicate minerals, aiming to store CO2 in solid form, results in CO2e emission reductions of 8–33% while generating additional profit of up to €32 per tonne of cement. To create positive CO2 mineralisation business cases two conditions are paramount: the resulting products must be used as a supplementary material in cement blends in the construction industry (e.g., for bridges or buildings) and the storage of CO2 in minerals must be eligible for emission certificates or similar. Additionally, mineral transport and composition of the product are decisive.

Original languageEnglish
Article number59
JournalCommunications Earth and Environment
Volume3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Mar 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
  • Environmental Science(all)

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