(648b) Comparison of Decarbonization Effectiveness Among Steelmaking, Cement, and Aluminum at the Country Level

The industry sector contributes to more than 30% of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Steelmaking, cement, aluminum are top CO₂ emission industries. The intrinsic characteristic of these processes, for example, cement produced from limestone clinkerization reaction, counts for two-thirds of total cement process CO₂ emission. The remainder is contributed by its heating source, a carbon-intensive fuel; aluminum, on the other hand, requires intensive electricity input compared to the steelmaking and cement industry.

Though the demand of steel, cement, and aluminum are predicted to increase from 2020 to 2040, the greenhouse gas (GHG) is expected to decrease to satisfy sustainable development goals such as net-zero emissions, 1.5 áµ’C scenario, etc. To achieve the sustainable development goal, decarbonization is necessary. Environment and techno-economic analysis will be used to answer questions such as what technology to be used, which industry/industries to decarbonize and to what extent, what is the cost of CO₂ mitigation, etc. Four representative countries/locations (China, the USA, India, and EU-27) will be studied. This work aims to provide information in guiding decarbonization strategies from a country level. In addition, the various studied steel, cement, and aluminum production pathways and decarbonization options will be incorporated into MIT Energy Initiative’s SESAME platform, from where people could reference the live data as well as customize it for their own needs.