Innovative solutions for reducing emissions in cement plant operations
Around 8% of global emissions are generated by cement plant operations. Therefore, it's worth considering the efficiency of the installed equipment such as air compressors and blowers.
Furthermore, implementation of new process technologies to reduce the impact of this industry on the climate such as Carbon Capture for Utilization or Storage (CCUS) will be a must to reach a Net Zero scenario by 2050.
Different regions throughout the world are creating financial tools to stimulate the implementation of new technologies to drive down CO2 emission from this sector.
- In the USA, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides a tax incentive for projects which decarbonize heavy industries like cement.
- In Europe, the ETS (Emission Trading system) is a cap-and-trade tool which puts a cost on CO2 emissions. As allowances for these emissions will decrease year-by-year, the cost is expected to go up making investments to prevent emission worth their while.
- On country level, there are different variations which use funding or tax benefits to drive the implementation for the innovative solutions forward.
How do these directives apply? And how to reduce emissions?
With recent technological advancements, it's possible to meet globally defined climate goals.
The challenges of cement plant operations
It is often said that next to water, cement is the second most used resource. It's needed to construct bridges, highways, tunnels, dams, and buildings.
The main challenge with reducing emissions is that cement plant operations need to maintain a consistent output. The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that cement plants must reduce CO2 emissions by 4% annually to get on track with the NZE scenario.
According to the European Cement Association, 12% of the total energy mix for cement plants is electricity.
The remaining power comes from fossil fuels. To bring emissions down we'll need a continued focus on energy efficient solutions for all electrical equipment such as compressors and blowers in combination with new innovations which either replace fossil fuel
with another renewable energy source or technologies to decarbonize the emission of fossil fuels.
Within a cement plant, you'll likely encounter 350-1000 running motors. These power conveyors, pumps, small fans, and blowers.
A cement plant that produces one million tones per year requires around 2MW installed power for compressors and blowers. Low-pressure compressors and blowers (< 4 bar) use around 70% of this 2 MW, while compressors use 30%.
Of the low-pressure applications, pneumatic conveying requires the most power:
- Pneumatic conveying 40%
- Fluidization 10%
- Combustion air 10%
- Others 10%
Future-proof solutions for the cement industry
The importance of reducing emissions in cement manufacturing
One thing all the above mentioned initiatives have in common, is that detailed carbon reporting will need to be done to correctlty allocate funds or tax benefits. Correct emission reporting will allow a closer follow-up on the progress to reach the outlined targets and could avoid fines or fund withdrawels. On top of this, it allows companies to profile themselves as a being innovative and willing to tackle climate change by reducing their CO2 footprint.
Since cement is an energy intensive material, involving mining, blending, grinding and kiln operations, there's a wide range of strategies to reduce emissions. This includese nergy effecient compresed air solution, renewable energy integration and compressing and drying CO2.
Viable solutions
We are committed to introduce innovative and future proof solutions for the cement industry. This is made possible through cutting-edge solutions and our expertise in energy efficiency, renewable energy integration, and compressing and drying CO2 .
Carbon capture solutions for the cement industry
One way to reduce the CO2 emissions from cement plants is through carbon capture. This essentially prevents most carbon dioxide generated from being released in the air to store and/or reuse it. There are many ways to achieve carbon capture, including amine scrubbing, cryogenic separation, novel solvents, and membranes.
Screw blowers in the cement production process
Traditionally, the roots (lobe) blower has been standard equipment in cement plants. However, the screw blower is a much more efficient option and can reduce energy consumption by double digits in kiln operations. By comparison, a roots blower generates more heat as it uses more electricity to achieve the same result.
