Applications of Carbon Capture Technologies in Steel and Cement Industries

Abstract

As problems such as the increase in extreme weather, rising sea levels, and social inequality continue to sharpen with the intensifying climate change, changes are demanded. The cement and iron and steel industries are among the major spheres responsible for the rising global temperature. Carbon reduction methods cannot fully solve the problem and help these industries reach carbon-neutral emissions. Therefore, carbon capture (CC) technology is urgently needed. This article introduces the application of pre-combustion carbon capture (PreCCC), post-combustion carbon capture (PostCCC), and oxyfuel combustion carbon capture in the cement industry and the iron and steel industry. Research has shown that oxyfuel combustion is one of the most assuring pathways to reach carbon neutrality in cement plants since problems of temperature management can be solved by recycling part of the fuel gases, and its cost is relatively lower than the other methods. However, PostCCC is a better solution in the iron and steel industries. Although technological innovations in physical absorption and chemical absorption are still needed, PostCCC can mitigate a large portion of steel plants carbon footprint. Carbon capture intensity can be increased with further technological development in combining PostCCC and oxygen-rich combustion. The combination of different pathways may be a novel hypothesis, but it has a great possibility of alleviating the carbon emission of the industrial sector.