Digitalisation seen as a crucial step on the road to decarbonisation

The survey was carried out among World Cement subscribers; cement producers from around the world ranging in size from just one or two cement plants to more than 30.

82% of respondents said digitalisation is ‘very important’ for the future of their company or plant – and 76% said it is a ‘very important’ part of the emissions reductions path.

However, although cloud-based tools are used by more than half of the survey respondents, there was a general lack of confidence in sharing company data via the cloud.

Respondents were resoundingly positive about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the cement industry – with most viewing it as a future solution, rather than one for today. Fewer than 30% of respondents are currently using AI or machine learning (ML) technologies – but 60% said their plant or company plans to deploy AI in the future.

A combination of cost and prioritisation were most commonly cited as reasons why respondents’ companies are not using AI today.

78% of respondents said there is a huge need for new tools to support control room operators in their role and a majority believe that AI/ML will transform the future of the cement industry – similar to the effects already seen in industries such as healthcare, finance and automotive manufacturing.

The survey revealed that the cost of fuel and the need to reduce carbon emissions are the top two challenges facing the cement industry. The results suggest the industry is aware it needs to decarbonise before the widespread introduction of carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) – and the consensus is that more can be done.

Two-thirds of respondents’ companies have set carbon reduction targets for 2030 – and 84% of those surveyed said it is ‘very important’ for the cement industry to reduce carbon emissions before the implementation of CCUS.

When asked what measures their companies are taking today to reduce carbon emissions, the use of substitute cementitious materials (SCMs) – including limestone calcined clay (LC3) – came out top, followed by alternative fuels, pyroprocess optimisation and waste heat recovery. They were also the top technologies respondents said their companies are planning to implement in the future to reduce carbon emissions, along with carbon capture and storage (CCS) and CCUS, and hydrogen fuel kilns.

Challenged to name the five carbon-reduction measures they thought would be the most effective for their plant in the next 5 – 10 years, the majority of respondents chose SCMs or LC3. In second place was alternative fuels, followed by pyroprocess optimisation in third place, CCS or CCUS in fourth position and waste heat recovery in fifth.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/01112023/digitalisation-seen-as-a-crucial-step-on-the-road-to-decarbonisation/