“The cement production industry needs to reinvent itself.”

Eric Bergé, Heavy Industry Project Manager at The Shift Project, details the challenges in store for the cement industry during its ecological transition.

You say that process electrification is not sufficient to tackle GHG emissions in the cement industry. Why?

Eric Bergé: Simply, because two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions from this industry are inherent in the production of clinker [a constituent ingredient in concrete], which as it is fired, releases carbon dioxide.

So, what levers exist for accelerating the sector’s ecological transition?

E.B. There are several that are known about but currently under-used. The first and most effective is to reduce the proportion of clinker in cement by adding alternative raw materials, such as pozzolana, blast furnace slag, crushed limestone or calcined clay.

And other levers?

E.B. The modernisation of factories, which in France tend to be quite old, will improve energy efficiency. Another lever is to use less cement in concrete by introducing additives or adjusting the grading curve for concrete ingredients. It is also possible to optimise the design of buildings and concrete elements, for example using things like honeycomb or post-and-beam structures.

What do you think about CO₂ capture and storage as a solution?

E.B. This process has two drawbacks. It cannot be used everywhere, because there has to be infrastructure for transporting the captured CO₂ to its storage location, never mind the unease the storage causes from an environmental and public health point of view. The process is also costly. It requires major investment to create the infrastructure required and multiplies electricity consumption at least three times.

How will decarbonisation change the cement industry’s business model?

E.B. The sector will have to reinvest massively to adapt cement factories and address a change in cement supply. Volumes should decrease, but the related costs, and therefore the price of cement, will increase. The good news is that cement will no longer be just a commodity. The industry must now reinvent itself.

07/10/2024