Abstract
Cement plays a dual role in the global carbon cycle like a sponge: its massive production contributes significantly to present-day global anthropogenic CO2 emissions, yet its hydrated products gradually reabsorb substantial amounts of atmospheric CO2 (carbonation) in the future. The role of this sponge effect along the cement cycle (including production, use, and demolition) in carbon emissions mitigation, however, remains hitherto unexplored. Here, we quantify the effects of demand- and supply-side mitigation measures considering this material-energy-emissions-uptake nexus, finding that climate goals would be imperiled if the growth of cement stocks continues. Future reabsorption of CO2 will be significant (~30% of cumulative CO2 emissions from 2015 to 2100), but climate goal compliant net CO2 emissions reduction along the global cement cycle will require both radical technology advancements (e.g., carbon capture and storage) and widespread deployment of material efficiency measures, which go beyond those envisaged in current technology roadmaps.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 3777 |
Journal | Nature Communications |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 29 Jul 2020 |
Funding
This work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (71991484), Independent Research Fund Denmark (CityWeight and ReCAP), the Lighthouse ODEx funding of University of Southern Denmark (Building Passport), and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the UK (EP/S006079/1 and EP/ S019111/1). We are grateful to Lynn Price for comments on an earlier draft of the paper. G.L. thanks his baby boy Huanhuan who kept him up at night to complete the final edits.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
- General Physics and Astronomy