22 May 2024 | Cyrille F. Dunant, Shiju Joseph, Rohit Prajapati, Julian M. Allwood
The chapter discusses the potential of electric recycling of Portland cement at scale to reduce CO₂ emissions. Current decarbonation strategies, such as substituting Portland clinker with supplementary materials or developing alternative binders, have limitations. However, used cement can be an abundant and decarbonated feedstock. The authors propose a process where recovered cement paste is used as a partial substitute for lime-dolomite flux in steel recycling, producing slag that meets the specifications for Portland clinker. This process is sensitive to the silica content of the recovered cement paste but can be adjusted easily. The proposed process is economically competitive and can lead to zero-emissions cement if powered by emissions-free electricity. With the global supply of scrap steel expected to triple by 2050, this approach could significantly reduce steel recycling emissions and meet future global cement requirements through material efficiency in construction. The study demonstrates that using existing industrial-scale equipment, it is possible to recycle Portland cement into Portland cement in an all-electric process, potentially scaling up rapidly and providing a zero-emissions alternative to traditional cement production.The chapter discusses the potential of electric recycling of Portland cement at scale to reduce CO₂ emissions. Current decarbonation strategies, such as substituting Portland clinker with supplementary materials or developing alternative binders, have limitations. However, used cement can be an abundant and decarbonated feedstock. The authors propose a process where recovered cement paste is used as a partial substitute for lime-dolomite flux in steel recycling, producing slag that meets the specifications for Portland clinker. This process is sensitive to the silica content of the recovered cement paste but can be adjusted easily. The proposed process is economically competitive and can lead to zero-emissions cement if powered by emissions-free electricity. With the global supply of scrap steel expected to triple by 2050, this approach could significantly reduce steel recycling emissions and meet future global cement requirements through material efficiency in construction. The study demonstrates that using existing industrial-scale equipment, it is possible to recycle Portland cement into Portland cement in an all-electric process, potentially scaling up rapidly and providing a zero-emissions alternative to traditional cement production.