Scaling up SCMs

Low-carbon cements hold the key to the rapid and scalable decarbonisation of the cement industry. They replace clinker, a reactive element and key source of CO₂ in cement, with supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), which already exist and are widely used in some geographies. Since carbon avoidance is preferable to carbon abatement, these low-carbon cements have the potential to accelerate the reduction of the cement industry’s emissions and meet the EU’s 2030 climate targets.

Low-carbon, low-clinker cements have the potential to deliver a step change in terms of carbon reduction by 2030 and recent research and development work has accelerated both the availability and scalability of low-carbon alternatives, by using SCMs. Received wisdom in the industry has been that while low-carbon cements are available, they will never be sufficiently scalable to meet demand.

To date, a global shortage of some scalable SCMs has constrained the development and widespread deployment of low-clinker, low-carbon cements. The key challenge then is to boost the performance levels of SCMs already in use so that less of them can be used and to explore and improve the performance of a range of alternative SCMs. Enhancing alternative SCM performance means more of them can be brought into use and by using them efficiently, huge gains can be made to address the current scalability challenge.

A challenge worth tackling

It is important to be clear about the scale of the problem facing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon consumption. If the cement industry was a country, it would be the third largest emitter of CO₂ in the world, after the US and China, and significantly ahead of the EU.

Cement production is recognised as one of the most polluting industries in the world. On average, a tonne of cement produces 600 kg of CO₂. The bulk of these emissions are the unavoidable byproduct of manufacturing clinker. When looking at the construction industry, embodied CO₂ represents 11% of all global emissions and clinker generates 65% of these. All of which means that the industry must be a leader in tackling climate change and a key focus of efforts by governments and policy makers across the world to decarbonise.

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Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/12082024/scaling-up-scms/