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Continuous Assessment of the Environmental Impact and Economic Viability of Decarbonization Improvements in Cement Production

Author

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  • Olurotimi Oguntola

    (Systems Engineering Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA)

  • Steven Simske

    (Systems Engineering Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA)

Abstract

Growing awareness of the importance of mitigating climate change is driving research efforts toward developing economically viable technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The high energy consumption and carbon-intensive nature of cement manufacturing make it worthwhile to examine the environmental and economic characteristics of process improvements in cement production. This study examines the environmental impact of cement production and its economic considerations and demonstrates an IoT-inspired deployment framework for continuously assessing these. It contributes a practical approach to integrating sustainability into cement manufacturing and analyzes four different scenarios from a combination of two cement types (ordinary Portland cement, Portland-limestone cement) and two energy sources for thermal heating (coal, dried biosolids). It indicates that increased production and adoption of blended cement that has up to 15% limestone as an alternative to ordinary Portland cement can significantly reduce climate change effects from cement production (6.4% lower carbon footprint). In addition, significant emission reduction is possible with the use of waste from sewage sludge as a combustion fuel for heating in the cement production process (7.9% reduction compared with baseline). The information on environmental and financial trade-offs helps informed decisions on cement production improvements and can potentially contribute to greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Suggested Citation

  • Olurotimi Oguntola & Steven Simske, 2023. "Continuous Assessment of the Environmental Impact and Economic Viability of Decarbonization Improvements in Cement Production," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-20, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:12:y:2023:i:8:p:95-:d:1213851
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Antonio Ruiz Sánchez & Ventura Castillo Ramos & Manuel Sánchez Polo & María Victoria López Ramón & José Rivera Utrilla, 2021. "Life Cycle Assessment of Cement Production with Marble Waste Sludges," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-15, October.
    2. Rissman, Jeffrey & Bataille, Chris & Masanet, Eric & Aden, Nate & Morrow, William R. & Zhou, Nan & Elliott, Neal & Dell, Rebecca & Heeren, Niko & Huckestein, Brigitta & Cresko, Joe & Miller, Sabbie A., 2020. "Technologies and policies to decarbonize global industry: Review and assessment of mitigation drivers through 2070," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
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