Green Hydrogen finds use in sustainable cement production; huge potential lies in green hydrogen to reduce emissions immensely.
Here’s an article posted in Commodity Insider.
According to the article,
- Energy Security: The use of hydrogen in the cement industry can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels and increase energy security
- Job Creation: The development of a hydrogen economy in the cement industry has the potential to create new jobs in areas such as research and development, manufacturing, and infrastructure development
- Hydrogen Production: Hydrogen production at or near cement plants can yield both hydrogen and oxygen, which can be used to produce higher quality clinker.
So how can existing cement plants transition to using hydrogen without disrupting operations? This question is of utmost importance as stopping operations for even a single minute can cause huge damage to the industry. Here are some methods that can be followed:
- Hydrogen Injection Trials:
- Conduct trials to inject hydrogen into the existing fuel mix. For instance:
- Tarmac, a CRH UK-subsidiary, successfully used hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas at its Tunstead lime plant.
- Hanson, a Heidelberg Cement UK-subsidiary, ran a successful trial using hydrogen at its Ribblesdale cement plant.
- Hydrogen-Based Ground-Breaking Technology:
- CEMEX deployed hydrogen-based technology at its Alicante Cement Plant in Spain in 2019.
- The technology significantly reduces CO2 emissions.
- By 2020, it was installed in all CEMEX cement plants in Europe.
- Safety Measures and Feasibility Studies:
- Ensure safety protocols for handling hydrogen.
- Collaborate with research institutions (like Cranfield University) to assess feasibility and design efficient on-site ammonia cracking processes4.
- Gradual Integration:
- Gradually increase hydrogen content in the fuel mix to minimize disruptions.
- Monitor performance and adjust as needed.
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