“There are four possibilities [to reduce emissions in the cement sector], but all of them only partially help:
– You can reduce the demand by using alternative building materials.
– A second point is Carbon Capture and Storage: the CO2 is cut off in cement production and stored somewhere.
– Then we have the high process temperature: is electrical firing with renewable energies possible? Is it okay with lower temperatures? This research is still in its infancy.
– The fourth possibility, but by no means the least important, are alternative materials: can we also produce cement and concrete without limestone? This also includes the idea of recycling concrete.”
N-TV’s Clara Pfeffer and Christian Herrmann interviewed Peter Schniering about the impact of cement production, how it will continue to develop, alternatives available, and the current stand on decarbonization pathways for the sector.
You can read an excerpt and listen to it (in German) here.