Material Substitution Strategies for Energy Reduction and Greenhouse Gas Emission in Cement Manufacturing

Abstract

While there is strong demand for cement because of its widespread use in modern society, its production is a source of international concern due to the large amounts of energy required and the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced in the process. These GHGs deplete the ozone layer and speed up global warming. Therefore, it is important to investigate several methods of handling this issue, and material replacement has been proposed as the best option among many others. In this study, we examine the different strategies that have employed material substitution to reduce energy use and GHG emissions during the past decade. In this study, we provided an overview of the cement production processes and outlined the various material replacement choices available to us (including waste or recycled materials and other materials). This study found that partial (1–60%) and total material substitution in cement production processes have been reported to lower energy consumption by 5.5% to 40% and greenhouse gas emissions by 1% to 94%. This highlights the importance of material substitution in cement production for reducing energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases.