Decarbonization Solutions for Industry

What Is Industrial Decarbonization?

The term decarbonization literally means the reduction of carbon, or more specifically reducing emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The overall aim is to convert to an economic system that sustainably reduces and compensates the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂). In industry, decarbonization generally means removing carbon from the process chain.

According to the World Resources Institute , decarbonization is one of three main strategies to help countries meet their energy needs with zero-carbon emissions: optimize, electrify, and decarbonize (or shift entirely to zero-carbon technologies to generate electricity).

Goal

In the Paris Agreement of 2015, the goal of decarbonization is to reduce CO2 emissions to net zero between 2055-2070, and all GHGs by 2080-2100. As of 2014, around 28 percent of global greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions came from industry, according to the Energy Transitions Commission . Approximately 90% of GHG emissions are CO2, so industry accounts for 30% of CO2 emissions . There are a number of ways industry can contribute to a reduction in CO2 and overall GHG emissions.

Emissions and Consumption by Industry

Between 1990 and 2014, emissions from the industrial sector increased by 69 percent (2.2 percent per year). The majority of direct industrial CO2 emissions comes from a subset of industries:

• iron and steel
• non-metallic minerals (cement, glass, lime)
• chemical industries (ethylene, ammonia)
• petroleum refining

Innovation is crucial to decarbonizing these industries, especially in high temperature heat applications.

Benefits of Industrial Decarbonization

Many industries are concerned about the emission of polluting gases such as CO2 that contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Apart from regulatory goals, industrial decarbonization offers other benefits to manufacturers. Technology solutions are available to assist with environmental responsibilities as well as raising awareness of these issues within the community. Industries can even accrue economic benefits from energy savings, safety improvements, and recovery and reuse of by-products.

Types of Decarbonization Solutions for Industry

Strategies to accelerate industrial emissions reductions can be categorized into four key areas::

• Increasing energy efficiency
• Industrial electrification
• Replacing fossil fuels with Low-Carbon Fuels, Feedstocks, and Energy Sources (LCFFES)
• Installing carbon capture and storage technology, also known as Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS)

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency can be increased in several ways. Generally speaking, these methods fall under the category of retrofitting technology, setting targets, monitoring use, and increasing R&D. All of these methods can also help reduce energy costs and emissions.

Industrial Electrification

Industrial electrification methods aim to replace processes reliant on natural gas or fossil fuels with low-carbon electricity. This includes:

• Producing process heat using induction, radiative heating, or advanced heat pumps
• Leveraging electricity for high-temperature range processes in iron, steel, and cement making
• Replacing thermally-driven processes with electrochemical processes

Low-Carbon Fuels, Feedstocks, and Energy Sources (LCFFES)

Replacing fossil fuels often means replacing them with low-carbon or zero-carbon energy sources. For low and mid temperature processes, replacing fossil fuels may include electrification, and for high temperature processes, clean hydrogen may be a more suitable replacement.

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS)

One promising way to capture CO2 emissions is to install carbon capture and storage technology. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) refers to a multi-component strategy for capturing point source emissions (fuel combustion and industrial process emissions) and then either using the captured CO2 to make new products or storing it long-term to avoid release into the atmosphere.

Industrial Decarbonization Solutions from Manufacturers Leading the Decarbonization Effort

Carotek partners with a number of manufacturers contributing to industrial decarbonation with a variety of solutions.