Electrification and carbon capture can make cement production more energy-efficient and sustainable

Concrete is the world’s most generally used constructing materials—however the manufacturing of cement, its key part, generates important carbon dioxide emissions. New analysis at Umeå College exhibits how electrification and carbon seize could make manufacturing each extra energy-efficient and climate-smart.

The cement industry accounts for roughly 8% of world carbon dioxide emissions. These emissions primarily originate from chemical reactions when limestone is heated and from the fossil fuels utilized in manufacturing. By electrifying the production process and implementing carbon seize, emissions could be decreased. This has been investigated in a doctoral thesis to Umeå College.

José Aguirre Castillo, an industrial doctoral pupil at Umeå College and course of engineer at Heidelberg Supplies Cement Sweden, has examined how totally different carbon seize applied sciences—similar to electrified plasma heating, oxy-fuel combustion, and calcium looping—have an effect on cement manufacturing.

In these applied sciences, cement is produced in environments with extraordinarily excessive carbon dioxide concentrations. Aguirre Castillo has found that this will truly improve manufacturing effectivity, because it facilitates the formation of key minerals within the cement.

“Our results show that high carbon dioxide levels can promote high-temperature reactions. By leveraging this, we have optimized the material with promising results, improving both the product’s properties and reducing its climate impact,” says Aguirre Castillo.

The analysis exhibits that tricalcium silicate, a key part of cement that requires excessive power to provide, could be shaped extra effectively below excessive carbon dioxide concentrations—a discovering that may be leveraged to reinforce power effectivity and enhance cement high quality.

Aguirre Castillo has additionally explored how the composition and particle dimension of uncooked materials could be adjusted to decrease power consumption whereas making the clinker extra reactive. Elevated reactivity creates the situations for diluting the cement with different binders, similar to volcanic materials, additional decreasing the local weather influence.

Umeå College is conducting intensive analysis on sustainable cement and quicklime manufacturing in collaboration with Sweden’s main industrial gamers within the subject. A number of research have contributed priceless data to assist the transition that the cement trade is dealing with.

Aguirre Castillo’s doctoral thesis exhibits that carbon capture could be built-in into current cement vegetation with out compromising cement high quality. This allows the trade to scale back emissions whereas sustaining the energy and sturdiness of the cement.