Scientists: 85% of industry can be decarbonized today

The industrial sector accounts for 25% of global CO2 emissions, or 9.3 billion metric tons per year, and this figure continues to grow. A team from the University of Leeds looked at various CO2-emitting industries and the options available to decarbonise them. The scientists found that even if only medium-to-high maturity (TRL 6-9) technology options involving carbon capture and storage or switching to hydrogen or biomass fuel were used, most industrial sectors would already be able to reduce emissions by an average of 85%. True, the cost of steel would increase by 15%, concrete by 30%, and olefins by 220%.

Iron and steel

Iron and steel production uses fossil fuel blast furnaces, oxygen furnaces and coke, resulting in large carbon dioxide emissions—two tons for every ton of steel. However, there is room for improvement in environmental performance. One option is to replace the coke with green hydrogen and use it to power an electric arc furnace. This will allow steel to be produced without emissions. Even if a steel mill chooses to retain existing equipment, carbon capture and storage (CCS) can sequester 86% of steel production emissions by increasing energy consumption by 17%. Another option for technology development is electric mining.

Chemical production

There are manufacturing processes where carbon emissions can be reduced using CO2 capture and storage. For example, in steam cracking to produce ethylene, propylene, butadiene and acetylene, CCS can reduce emissions by 90%, but it will require 25% more energy. In steam reforming to produce methanol and hydrogen, electrolysers can completely eliminate carbon dioxide emissions, but the process will require much more electricity - 743% compared to existing methods. The CCS process will be less efficient, capturing only 52–88% of emissions with a 10% increase in energy consumption.

Cement and lime

CCS in the cement and lime industry has great potential for emissions reduction, but requires significant additional energy input - ranging from 62% to 166%. Another approach to reduce emissions in these industries - using hydrogen, biomass or electricity in kilns - could reduce overall emissions by 40%.

Aluminum production

The main emissions problem in aluminum production is the use of dirty electricity in the electrolysis process. About two-thirds of emissions come from this. The solution may be to switch to green energy. The remaining emissions are associated with technological processes. To reduce them, you can reduce energy consumption by 20% by replacing carbon anodes in electrolyzers with inert ones. An additional 13-16% of emissions can be eliminated by using electric or hydrogen boilers and decarbonizers in the alumina refining process. The cleanest way to produce aluminum is through recycling through well-established secondary production. Researchers estimate this could reduce emissions by 95%.

Glass

In glass production, most emissions come from furnace heat. Switching to an electric or biofuel stove can reduce overall emissions by 80%. If electricity is used, it is also possible to reduce energy consumption by 15-25% compared to traditional methods. Additional measures such as the use of cullet and calcined feedstocks can reduce emissions by a further 5% while keeping material or energy costs at an acceptable level.

Barriers to decarbonization

In the industrial sector, electrification can require a significant increase in operating costs - up to 200-300%. Carbon capture and storage is also expensive, adding up to $250 per ton processed, depending on the technology and process. Electrification of some industrial plants may require gigawatts of grid connection. Such changes could increase steel production costs by 15% globally, 50-220% for olefins and aromatics, and 30% for concrete. This will affect consumer prices for the final products of these industries. However, on average in the economy, prices from such measures should increase quite slightly. One study found that achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 in industry could require an increase in consumer prices of less than 1%.

But there are reasons for optimism: solar and wind power are already cost-competitive, and breakthroughs in ultra-deep drilling could unlock large amounts of geothermal energy almost anywhere on the planet. Modular nuclear power could produce industrial-scale electricity on site. Widespread green energy production will inevitably lead to significant reductions in CO2 emissions by mid-century, scientists hope.

Source: https://hightech.plus/