Cement Industry Accelerates Efforts to Achieve Carbon Neutrality Goal by 2050

Cement Association and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Hold the 2nd Cement Green New Deal Committee Meeting

Ssangyong C&E Donghae Plant Production Innovation Equipment.
[Photo by Korea Cement Association]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] The cement industry, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050, is strengthening active cooperation with the government and related research institutions. They plan to overcome the greenhouse gas reduction crisis through scenarios and detailed roadmaps based on feasibility.

The Korea Cement Association announced on the 22nd that it will hold the "2nd Cement Green New Deal Committee" jointly with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, with about 20 participants from the cement industry and related experts.

The Cement Green New Deal Committee is an industry-academia-research-government consultative body established to discuss the cement industry's 2050 carbon neutrality, launched along with the "2050 Carbon Neutrality Declaration" on February 17. The second meeting was held online in a non-face-to-face format in accordance with strengthened social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the meeting, the 2050 carbon neutrality scenario for the cement industry (Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade), the cement industry carbon neutrality R&D roadmap (Korea Ceramic Technology Institute), and institutional improvement tasks for carbon neutrality implementation (Korea Cement Association) were shared and various opinions were discussed.

The carbon neutrality scenario includes reduction measures by sector such as raw materials (limestone substitution, low-temperature calcination raw materials, blended cement development), fuel (increased waste synthetic resin, application of new heat sources such as hydrogen and biomass), and energy (waste heat power generation, equipment efficiency). There was also consensus on the stable supply of green energy and recycled raw materials and efforts to expand the use of alternative raw materials.

As a roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, projects such as limestone substitution, carbon dioxide reactive hardening cement, and expansion of waste synthetic resin (waste plastic) fuel will be promoted starting next year.

Jung Hae-bung, Executive Director of the Korea Cement Association, appealed for the urgency of institutional improvement, saying, "It is necessary to revise and establish KS standards for Type 1 ordinary cement and blended cement such as limestone cement to reduce greenhouse gases (process emissions) generated during the cement manufacturing process," and "It is also urgent to prepare alternatives to replace the main fuel, bituminous coal, with combustible recycled resources (such as waste synthetic resin)."

In this regard, Kim Wan-gi, Director of the Materials Industry Policy Division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, responded, "Taking the 2nd meeting as an opportunity, industry, academia, and research will join forces to help the cement industry move toward carbon neutrality, and the Ministry of Industry will spare no support and effort for this."

Kim Ui-cheol, Technical Support Team Leader of the Cement Association, said, "Everyone agrees on the necessity of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, but the fundamental principle that the competitiveness of the cement industry should not be damaged during the process must be strictly observed," and added, "We will continue to strive to ensure that the cement industry's position is appropriately reflected."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.