TransFIRe researchers have undertaken a literature review to compare cement production practices, in terms of energy consumption and CO2 emissions, in order to identify approaches that are the least energy and emissions intensive.

Cement production accounts for 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions, 3 to 4% of green-house gas emissions, and 7% of global industrial energy use. Demand for cement is also continuously increasing due to the rising worldwide population and urbanisation trends, as well as infrastructure development needs, with a further global increase of 12- 23% from its current level expected by 2050.

Following the net-zero carbon 2050 agenda, both energy and emissions must be significantly reduced and, in order to do so, it is essential to understand the manufacturing processes involved and the accompanying energy utilisation and CO2 emissions.

The literature review considers both the different types of cement production routes and the different production stages involved, as well as the different types of cement produced, and indicates multiple priority areas for the cement sector to target in pursuit of energy and emissions reductions.  These include:

  • Transitioning from wet to dry cement production processes, offering around 50% savings in energy consumption.
  • Within dry processes, vertical roller mills should be adopted for raw material and cement grinding.
  • For clinker production, best available technologies including precalciners, multistage cyclones, and modern kiln systems can minimise thermal energy use.
  • Efficiency measures for clinker coolers, oxygen enrichment, and burnability improvements also hold promise.
  • Transitioning to blended cement products with higher proportions of fly ash, blast furnace slag and other supplementary cementitious materials is essential for deep decarbonisation.
  • Cement companies must commit to phasing out outdated equipment, investing in efficiency upgrades, increasing clinker substitution, and developing innovative low-carbon solutions.
  • Policymakers can assist through incentives for emissions reductions and sustainability measures.

This work was presented by Professor Kostas Salonitis at the 19th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing.

Further work will be conducted on benchmarking consumption and production values across the cement industry in order to recognise best practices.

Shoaib Sarfraz, Ziyad Sherif, Michal Drewniok, Natanael Bolson, Jonathan Cullen, Phil Purnell, Mark Jolly, Kostas Salonitis.