The cement industry in Europe has set out to become neutral in terms of carbon emissions by 2050, by rethinking the operational and production model of cement, but especially by incorporating into its processes new solutions and technologies that could reduce with up to 90% carbon dioxide emissions generated by cement production. The cement industry is responsible for 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
The use of alternative fuels in cement production, especially municipal residues, biomass, and multi-industry waste, is the first and most accessible solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. According to the association of European cement producers, carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by 42% by using technology that allows the capture, use, and storage of carbon dioxide. In this process, carbon dioxide is captured from the atmosphere and stored either for reuse or for long-term storage in specially designed places. Another technology that could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions is calcium looping, this allows to reduce emissions by 90%, by extracting carbon dioxide from the gases generated by a cement factory, through a series of chemical processes such as carbonation and calcination.
