DECARBONISING THE HEAVY INDUSTRIES
DECARBONISING THE HEAVY INDUSTRIES
Steel, cement, and chemicals are the top three heavy industries and stand out as particularly challenging to decarbonize. This difficulty arises from technical constraints, such as their reliance on extremely high temperatures and the release of carbon dioxide during their processes. Economic factors further compound the challenge, including narrow profit margins, high capital requirements, long asset lifespans, and susceptibility to international trade dynamics.
The heavy industry sector plays a pivotal role in bolstering job security and propelling economic growth, making it a linchpin of some of the world's most rapidly advancing economies. Its substantial contributions extend to fostering socio-economic development and urbanization.
India, as a case in point, emits a significant annual volume of greenhouse gases, totaling 2.9 GtCO2e. Globally, the power and heat sectors connected to heavy industries contribute approximately 60% of the world's yearly emissions. When we consider the collective impact of steel, cement, and chemical industries, they jointly account for around 11% of the total carbon emissions within the energy system.
Given these substantial emissions, a focused approach is essential to attain climate targets and cultivate a sustainable socio-economic landscape. Consequently, it becomes imperative for these sectors to chart clear pathways and establish comprehensive roadmaps for their decarbonization efforts.
Steelmaking uses coal both as a source of heat and as part of the chemical process of converting iron ore to elemental iron. Both of these uses produce carbon dioxide( about 250MtCO2e in 2020). Eliminating CO₂ emissions from steelmaking requires a change in process. Using hydrogen as the heat source and the chemical reducing agent can eliminate CO₂ emissions, or carbon capture can remove them. Steel can also be recycled without CO₂ emissions, but demand for steel is too large to be met with recycled steel alone. The steel production is expected to grow seven fold to around 785 MMTPA by 2070. CO2 emission intensity should fall from around 2.0 tCO2/ton of steel to 0.5 tCO2/ton steel from this sector.
Cement production also releases CO₂ accounts for about 5% of India Current emissions( 156MtCO2e in 2019) as part of the chemical process, in this case when limestone is heated to very high temperature to produce calcium oxide “clinker,” the cement’s primary component. Other substances can be mixed with clinker while still maintaining cement quality, or if the industry can find other clinker substitutes. but the primary method of decarbonizing the sector is to capture the CO₂and store or find a use for it.
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