Groundbreaking Study on Electric Recycling of Portland Cement

A new study published in Nature on May 22, 2024, reveals a novel approach to significantly reduce carbon emissions from cement production through electric recycling of Portland cement at scale. This innovative process, developed by Cyrille F. Dunant, Shiju Joseph, Rohit Prajapati, and Julian M. Allwood, leverages recovered cement paste as a feedstock for electric arc furnaces (EAFs) used in steel recycling, offering a promising pathway to zero-emissions cement production.

Key Points:

• Cement and Emissions: Cement production is responsible for 7.5% of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, primarily from limestone decarbonization and fossil-fuel combustion.

• Innovative Recycling Process: The study demonstrates that recovered cement paste can be processed and used as a substitute for lime-dolomite flux in steel recycling, reducing emissions from both steel and cement production.

• Economic Viability: The process, if powered by emissions-free electricity, could lead to zero-emission cement while also lowering the emissions of steel recycling by reducing lime flux requirements.

• Future Potential: With an expected increase in the global supply of scrap steel for recycling, this method could meet future global cement requirements, contributing significantly to carbon reduction efforts.

This research marks a significant advancement in the field of building decarbonization, providing a scalable solution to one of the most challenging sources of industrial emissions.

Source: nature