Carbon Capture & Storage: The Next Giant Step for the Cement Industry

As global development surges on, the rapid deterioration of the environment has become a major concern in every part of the world. And carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have been recognized as the primary culprit in climate change. During the past decades, the world has seen a rapid increase in carbon dioxide emissions, and the most recent statistical reports show that global CO2 continues to rise.

 

Growth is primarily  concentrated in the Asia Pacific region, and attributed mostly to emissions in China, Japan and India. Industrialized nations with more access to the latest technology and information have been able to curb growth in carbon dioxide emissions for the past two decades.

At the very core of global progress and development is rising infrastructure, and along with increased infrastructure development comes increased production of cement. In 2011, world cement production was estimated at 3.6 billon tons, which translated to more than 2 billion tons of CO2 released in the atmosphere from fuels utilized in the production process and the calcination of limestone. So it is no surprise that cement manufacturers have become one of the sectors that more actively pursue reduction of CO2 emissions.

Read the rest of the article in the latest edition of CemWeek Magazine.