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    World Cement Artilce by Michael McSweeney

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    O Canada, How Canadian Cement and Concrete is paving the way to carbon neutrality

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    World Cement Artilce by Michael McSweeney

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    McSweeneyCAC
    18 views5 pages
    O Canada, How Canadian Cement and Concrete is paving the way to carbon neutrality

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    O Canada, How Canadian Cement and Concrete is paving the way to carbon neutrality

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf
    18 views5 pages

    World Cement Artilce by Michael McSweeney

    Uploaded by

    McSweeneyCAC
    O Canada, How Canadian Cement and Concrete is paving the way to carbon neutrality

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    O Canada Michael McSweeney, Cement Association of Canada, explains how Canadian cement and concrete is paving the way to carbon neutrality. 1n Canada, governments at the national, provincial, and municipal levels are preparing to spend hundreds of billions of doliars over the next decade on infrastructure. This is an investment characterised by elected officials as a short-term stimulus to meet ambitious longer term social, economic, anc environmental needs. {tis hard to imagine getting this right withaut considering concrete, ‘The opportunity this represents for the sector is cause to celebrate but cannot be, and is not, taken for granted. While cement is only & small ‘component of 2 typical concrete mix and cement production enjoys a relatively small footprint on many environmental metrics, itis eneray and CO, intensive. It's no surprise that the sector is under increasing scrutiny by legislators, environmentalists, news media, and others, And ‘n Canada, a country that is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world, the sector is not spared the criticism, ‘Separating fact from fiction Critics using provocative soundbites to promote themselves rather than fix problems suggest that cement would account for a large country if measured by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is fodder for misinformation, misleading headlines, and risks tarnishing the industry's reputation in the minds of many as a green problem, nota solution. It forces the industry to work twice as hard in demonstrating the impressive green credentials of coment and concrete, soit can be part of the conversation when Canadian governments and rule-makers look for green solutions. ‘Separating fact from fiction is an important place to start because there is strong evidence, science, innovation, and research to showcase cement not simply as a problem to be solved, but as a solution to low-carbon and climate resilient buildings and infrastructure. Tho fact is: f coment wore a country it would be cutting its GHG emissions faster than any other, And it would be among the only counties to be well on track to meet its Paris commitments. The facts back this up” > In Canada, the energy required to make a tonne of cement has been reduced by about 20%, and GHG intensity has fallen by 15% in tho last 20 years. > Lower carbon portland limestone cement, also known as Contempra, reduces CO, emissions by about 10%, representing a 1 milion t reduction potential on a national scale. > Exciting innovative changes like replacing fossil fuels with non-recyclable waste, including single-use plastics and waste biomass, have benefits that stretch beyond cement and touch communities. Substituting fossil fuels with these lower carbon alternatives wil, in the short to medium term, cut emissions by another 20 ~ 30%, or about 3 million t across Canada, > Breakthrough technologies, many homemade in Canada, are focused on carbon capture, ullisation, and storage (CCUS) solutions that, when scaled, could yield carbon neutral or even carbon negative cement and concrete. No other industry has a better track-record. than cement in cutting CO, and few, if any, have laid out a plan, such as the global science-based technology roadmap that demonstrates how the sector, using existing and emerging technologies, wil reduce emissions in line with the Paris targets. Seizing the opportunity: Canada seeing progress In Canada, despite a complex legislative, poltical, and stakeholder landscape, significant progress is being seen inthe recognition of coment and concrete as a green solution ‘The sector works through 18 regional government jurisdictions, five federal government departments at both the bureaucratic and elected levels, and some 25 large cities and urban centres. scattered over a very large geographical area. ‘Add to this the regime turnovers generated by elections every four years, and the challenges faced by the industry in building momentum will be appreciated. Novertholess, the industry has achieved progress on several important fronts, Efforts to advance cement are inextricably tied to Canada's commitment to cutting emissions and meeting the targets set by the Paris Agreement. ‘An overwhelming majority of Canadians want their governments to do more to tackle climate change, according to recent public opinion polls The Cement Association of Canada’s offorts to advocate and position the cement industry 1s a green solution in Canada are rooted in the following key areas of government policy’ 1. Creating a level playing field for concrete as a building product. 2. Getting governments to flox their procurement muscle and require low carbon solutions. 8. Removing regulatory and administrative barriers to low carbon cement technologies. Creating a level playing field The construction, operation, and decommissioning of buildings and infrastructure account for approximately 40% of all man-made GHG emissions. tis so-evident that building practices need to change; buildings must become lower carbon and more resilont to the changing climate. Governments and many in the building sector are in hot pursuit of solutions. And, on the face of it, the industry is doing alot of things right. First, itis generally understood that retrofitting the existing stock of relatively ineficient buildings is priority number one. Secondly, building ccode processes are focused on pushing now construction toward net-zero carbon as quickly as possible. Thirdly, there is an emerging consensus among academics, governments, procurement professionals, and environmental groups that lifecycle assessment (LCA) isthe best, and perhaps tho only too! that can objectively and transparently address the complexity of designing for low carbon and climate resilience For all his great work, governments across Canada are nevertheless placing big bets on one strategy: building with more wood. ‘The preference for wood also manifests itslt in sizeable taxpayer‘unded grants and programme ‘commitments for wood projects and initiatives. Similar levels of generosity are not extended to the ‘coment industry, notwithstanding the significant GHG reduction opportunities in the sector. More important, though, governments have a bad track ‘Treditional Assumptions onerete (Carbon Neutral wood . Bw ‘Scenario ncluding Biogenic Concrete of Dm Carbon Losses related to forest management prostices Wood ° Indust Smisions fl) Monufosturing Biogenic Carbon Losses fill 90% regeneration rate Cradle-to-grave building embodied emi record when it comes to picking winners and losers and, indeed, recent and emerging research casts doubt on wood as a winning bet. ‘Anew study commissioned by the Cement Association of Canada and conducted bby Canada’s renowned International Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD), titled “Emission Omissions: Carbon accounting gaps in the built environment,’ gives policy makers and building professionals reason for pause. ‘Among its most significant findings is that current LCA models do not fully account for biogenic carbon losses from logging, and that these carbon releases could represent up to 72% of a wood product's carbon footprint. In this scenario, a wood building could in fact be more carbon intensive than a concrete building! ‘The atmosphere does not care about human assumptions and, with growing evidence that up to three quarters of wood's carbon footprint is missing ‘rom the ledger, itis necessary to do better. ‘The coment and concrete industry in Canada, and globally, accepts that new wood products, such as cross laminated timber, are expanding the role wood can play in the building sector. Just like concrete (with a carbon footprint that can vary widely across, for example, different mix designs) and steel (with a carbon footprint that varies by ‘orders of magnitude based on technology and ‘energy sources), the carbon footprint of wood also ‘spans a wide range of values and, as the IISD study suggests, offers no guaranteed outperformance on carbon compared to other materials. Rather than promote one building material over others, governments in Canada and around the world must get the best from all building materials. This is why the cement and concrete sector has and continues to advocate that low carbon building policies should secure a level but competitive playing field where material ‘manufacturers and the building industry are driven toward low carbon solutions. 500 1900 1500 2000 Wh coneiuction BB sotcoronion: i convrion of nti frst ions (tCO,e). Flexing influence for ‘no-cost’ low carbon solutions Governments have one ofthe most powerful tools at their disposal to drive change when it comes to reducing emissions from the built environment. That tool is procurement. In Canada, governments are responsible, directly and indirectly, for purchasing over 50% of all building materials, Despite the rapid development of industrial regulatory regimes to address climate change, few governments factor climate change into their procurement decisions. Low carbon cement is a prime example. Portland limestone coment is an ‘off the shel" drop-in substitute for regular cement; it costs the same and it reduces GHGs by 10%. However, governments, the single largest purchasers of concrete, are not buying it because there is no incentive in the procurement system to s2¢k out low-carbon solutions. As a major purchaser, directly and indirectly though transfers to provinces and municipalities, the federal government must shape procurement decisions to favour low-carbon products. Doing so will have the following three key boonefits: > Iewil reduce GHGs across the economy. >It be an incentive for export and domestic markets (rather than lagging them for these products, as well as the fectologios that support them > By ensuring that allinfrastrucure projects that receive pubic dolars are required to account forthe fll economio and carbon ifecycle impacts, governments wil be able to align their environmental priorties wih the objective of ensuring vale for money ‘These benefits are 100 important to pass by and that is why the Cement Association of Canada continues to champion the development ofa ifecycle approach to public procurement that deploys the folowing three. LCA-based screens: > Maximise value forthe taxpayer by conducting a full ifecycte cost analysis, including inital, in-use, and end of life costs — while also factoring in erica risks, such as extreme weather due to climate change. > Maximise GHG reductions using a full ifecycle carbon assessment ~ again, looking at intl embodied carbon, as well as operational and ond of life emissions to identity the lowest carbon options > Accelerate low-carbon solutions into the market by prioritising innovative solutions that could better meet the frst two screens than conventional solutions. These measures will help ensure better value for public infrastructure spending, lower GHG emissions, and create a wave of innovation and job creation in the transition to a clean economy future. Removing government barriers to lower carbon solutions ‘The Cement Association of Canada is working with governments and other industries to deploy circular economy principles to capture the energy and material value of products that society currently considers to be waste. Legislators can help by removing regulatory roadblocks and modernising waste management regimes, leading to better market access to elgibie materials and an investment environment that can help accelerate this transition For example, in many jurisdictions across Canada, itis very dificult to obtain permits to use low carbon fuels, and waste management pocies stil favour traditional low-cost lanafil dsposal for many types ‘of non recyclable waste. As previously noted, in Canada this is a missed opportunity to reduce cement sector emissions by 20-30%, while also ‘modernising the waste management sector. Perhaps most exciting isthe sector's rapidly emerging investment in CUS. There is no pathway, in the cemont sector or the economy as a \whole, to reducing emissions to the extent required without the large-scale deployment of CCUS. With the right mix of pokcies and incentives, the Cement Association of Canada believes thatthe ‘cement and conerete sector willbe among the frst industries where large-scale CCUS will become commercially viable, positioning it asa keystone industry for wide-scale adoption across other sectors Conereta's role as a frst application for an emerging class of CCUS technologies is a game changer and Canada is positioned to lead the ‘world by building on its strong foundation in CCUS technologies. For example > Solidia Technologies isa carbonation based process that reduces the carbon footprint of ‘concrete by up to 70% and water consumption by 60-80%, while also enhancing concrete's ‘other performance attributes. > Pond Technologies takes CO, from the ‘cement manufacturing process to grow algae that can be converted to biofuels and other low-carbon products, such as animal foods, soil amendments, and pharmaceuticals! nutraceuticals. > Halifacbased CarbonCure Technologies has levelopad a technology that takes waste CO, from industrial processes and injects it nto ‘concrete to mako it stronger and greener CarbonCure's technology is commercially available and is being used by nearly 60 concrete plants with significant domestic and export growth potential > Inventys' Project CO,MENT, now in validation ‘mode, holds the promise of being the first full-cycle solution to capture and reuse CO, from a coment plant, while also reducing GHG emissions. > Other CO,U opportunities include sequestering CO, in mineral waste products from other industrial sectors to create a carbonated aggregate that can reduce environmental impacts in two ways — replacing virgin aggregate in conerete while storing significant CO, in the process, Tho question forthe county's governments is how they wil secure and capitalise on Canada’s leadership in this unique clean economy space, 0 thatthe country fully benefits from being atthe forefront ofthis innovation play Conclusion Canadian governments, as well as those around the world, have no better ally in the fight against

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