IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-024-48965-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The climate benefits from cement carbonation are being overestimated

Author

Listed:
  • Elisabeth Van Roijen

    (2001 Ghausi Hall, University of California)

  • Kati Sethares

    (2001 Ghausi Hall, University of California)

  • Alissa Kendall

    (2001 Ghausi Hall, University of California)

  • Sabbie A. Miller

    (2001 Ghausi Hall, University of California)

Abstract

Rapid decarbonization of the cement industry is critical to meeting climate goals. Oversimplification of direct air capture benefits from hydrated cement carbonation has skewed the ability to derive decarbonization solutions. Here, we present both global cement carbonation magnitude and its dynamic effect on cumulative radiative forcing. From 1930–2015, models suggest approximately 13.8 billion metric tons (Gt) of CO2 was re-absorbed globally. However, we show that the slow rate of carbonation leads to a climate effect that is approximately 60% smaller than these apparent benefits. Further, we show that on a per kilogram (kg) basis, demolition emissions from crushing concrete at end-of-life could roughly equal the magnitude of carbon-uptake during the demolition phase. We investigate the sensitivity of common decarbonization strategies, such as utilizing supplementary cementitious materials, on the carbonation process and highlight the importance of the timing of emissions release and uptake on influencing cumulative radiative forcing. Given the urgency of determining effective pathways for decarbonizing cement, this work provides a reference for overcoming some flawed interpretations of the benefits of carbonation.

Suggested Citation

  • Elisabeth Van Roijen & Kati Sethares & Alissa Kendall & Sabbie A. Miller, 2024. "The climate benefits from cement carbonation are being overestimated," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-48965-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48965-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48965-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-024-48965-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhi Cao & Rupert J. Myers & Richard C. Lupton & Huabo Duan & Romain Sacchi & Nan Zhou & T. Reed Miller & Jonathan M. Cullen & Quansheng Ge & Gang Liu, 2020. "The sponge effect and carbon emission mitigation potentials of the global cement cycle," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Josefine A. Olsson & Sabbie A. Miller & Mark G. Alexander, 2023. "Near-term pathways for decarbonizing global concrete production," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. repec:cdl:itsdav:qt7qv6q35r is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Josefine A. Olsson & Sabbie A. Miller & Mark G. Alexander, 2023. "Near-term pathways for decarbonizing global concrete production," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Takuma Watari & André Cabrera Serrenho & Lukas Gast & Jonathan Cullen & Julian Allwood, 2023. "Feasible supply of steel and cement within a carbon budget is likely to fall short of expected global demand," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. Xu, Feng & Li, Xiaodong & Yang, Zhihan & Zhu, Chen, 2024. "Spatiotemporal characteristics and driving factor analysis of embodied CO2 emissions in China's building sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    4. Qiance Liu & Litao Liu & Xiaojie Liu & Shenggong Li & Gang Liu, 2021. "Building stock dynamics and the impact of construction bubble and bust on employment in China," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(6), pages 1631-1643, December.
    5. Tomer Fishman & Niko Heeren & Stefan Pauliuk & Peter Berrill & Qingshi Tu & Paul Wolfram & Edgar G. Hertwich, 2021. "A comprehensive set of global scenarios of housing, mobility, and material efficiency for material cycles and energy systems modeling," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(2), pages 305-320, April.
    6. Abhijeet Mishra & Florian Humpenöder & Galina Churkina & Christopher P. O. Reyer & Felicitas Beier & Benjamin Leon Bodirsky & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber & Hermann Lotze-Campen & Alexander Popp, 2022. "Land use change and carbon emissions of a transformation to timber cities," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Otavio Cavalett & Marcos D. B. Watanabe & Mari Voldsund & Simon Roussanaly & Francesco Cherubini, 2024. "Paving the way for sustainable decarbonization of the European cement industry," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 7(5), pages 568-580, May.
    8. Daniel Costa Reis & Marco Quattrone & Jhonathan F. T. Souza & Katia R. G. Punhagui & Sergio A. Pacca & Vanderley M. John, 2021. "Potential CO2 reduction and uptake due to industrialization and efficient cement use in Brazil by 2050," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(2), pages 344-358, April.
    9. Wang, Yihan & Wen, Zongguo & Xu, Mao & Kosajan, Vorada, 2024. "The carbon-energy-water nexus of the carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology deployment schemes: A case study in China's cement industry," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 362(C).
    10. Helmut Haberl & Markus Löw & Alejandro Perez-Laborda & Sarah Matej & Barbara Plank & Dominik Wiedenhofer & Felix Creutzig & Karl-Heinz Erb & Juan Antonio Duro, 2023. "Built structures influence patterns of energy demand and CO2 emissions across countries," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Griffiths, Steve & Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Furszyfer Del Rio, Dylan D. & Foley, Aoife M. & Bazilian, Morgan D. & Kim, Jinsoo & Uratani, Joao M., 2023. "Decarbonizing the cement and concrete industry: A systematic review of socio-technical systems, technological innovations, and policy options," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    12. Takuma Watari & Zhi Cao & Sho Hata & Keisuke Nansai, 2022. "Efficient use of cement and concrete to reduce reliance on supply-side technologies for net-zero emissions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    13. Izhar Hussain Shah & Sabbie A. Miller & Daqian Jiang & Rupert J. Myers, 2022. "Cement substitution with secondary materials can reduce annual global CO2 emissions by up to 1.3 gigatons," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    14. Su, Min & Wang, Qiang & Li, Rongrong & Wang, Lili, 2022. "Per capita renewable energy consumption in 116 countries: The effects of urbanization, industrialization, GDP, aging, and trade openness," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PB).
    15. Danyang Cheng & David M. Reiner & Fan Yang & Can Cui & Jing Meng & Yuli Shan & Yunhui Liu & Shu Tao & Dabo Guan, 2023. "Projecting future carbon emissions from cement production in developing countries," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    16. Sarah Pamenter & Rupert J. Myers, 2021. "Decarbonizing the cementitious materials cycle: A whole‐systems review of measures to decarbonize the cement supply chain in the UK and European contexts," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(2), pages 359-376, April.
    17. Xiaoyang Zhong & Mingming Hu & Sebastiaan Deetman & Bernhard Steubing & Hai Xiang Lin & Glenn Aguilar Hernandez & Carina Harpprecht & Chunbo Zhang & Arnold Tukker & Paul Behrens, 2021. "Global greenhouse gas emissions from residential and commercial building materials and mitigation strategies to 2060," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    18. Igor A. Bashmakov, 2024. "Russia on the pathways to carbon neutrality: forks on roadmaps," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 29(7), pages 1-26, October.
    19. Wenbo Huang & Xianlai Zeng & Jinhui Li, 2024. "Fostering the waste management with environmental-resource interacting attribute," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-48965-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.