Cement industry addresses concerns in achieving carbon neutrality

[Photo by Yonhap]

South Korean cement manufacturers held an event on Tuesday addressing the vision and challenges of achieving carbon neutrality.

Industry experts gathered at the forum expressed concerns about the financial hurdle of upgrading equipment for carbon neutrality, especially given that cement prices in Korea are among the lowest in OECD countries.

The event was hosted by the Korea Cement Association (KCA) and the Korea Industry Alliance Forum.

According to the cement industry, the Korean government’s greenhouse gas reduction scenario requires the cement industry to cut emissions by 12 percent from 2018 levels by 2030 and by 53 percent by 2050.

KCA Director Kim Ui-cheol highlighted the industry’s progress despite starting its carbon neutrality efforts later than the United States and the European Union.

“The domestic industry has achieved significant results, surpassing initial targets,” Kim emphasized.

The greenhouse gas emissions per ton of cement produced have decreased by 20 percent, from 900 kg in 2014 to 720 kg in 2022, thanks to the active adoption of alternative fuels and raw materials and investments in energy efficiency research and development.

The future challenge lies in developing fuels and raw materials with even lower carbon emissions. Currently, the industry uses waste plastics as fuel instead of petroleum and coal and incorporates waste from other industries, such as sludge, to reduce the use of carbon-emitting limestone during the heating process.

The industry’s goal is to produce cement using new components of fuel and raw materials developed through technological advancements.

Examples include using carbon-free fuels like biomass and hydrogen and creating cement with new admixtures like calcined clay.

Professor Kim Jin-man of Kongju National University’s Department of Green Smart Architectural Engineering explained the industry’s plans to complete the research and development of pretreatment technologies and pollution removal techniques for alternative fuels by 2030.

“We also need to focus on developing high-performance clinker, advanced chemical admixtures for concrete, and accelerators that shorten concrete curing times,” he added.

Overcoming public and environmental group misconceptions about alternative fuels and raw materials is another obstacle for the industry.

One prominent issue is the controversy over hexavalent chromium. Some environmental groups have labeled cement made from industrial waste as “garbage cement,” claiming it contains hexavalent chromium levels more than four times the EU’s allowable limits.

The industry counters this by saying that the use of protective gear such as masks and gloves can prevent exposure during production and use, and the amount of hexavalent chromium leaching out after the cement has hardened is minimal.

The use of waste plastics as alternative fuel has also sparked complaints from local waste collection and incineration companies, who argue that cement companies are taking away their business.