US Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap
A report by the US Department of Energy
Dr. Ali Hasanbeigi of Global Efficiency Intelligence was one of the co-authors of this report. He was the co-lead for the steel industry and cement industry analysis for this study.
In 2020, the U.S. industrial sector accounted for 33% of the nation’s primary energy use and 30% of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Industrial sector emissions are attributed to a combination of sources, including:
o Fuel-Related Emissions: emissions associated with the combustion and use of fuels (from fossil or non-fossil sources) at industrial facilities for needs other than electricity (e.g., for process heat)
o Electricity Generation Emissions: emissions attributed to the generation of electricity used at industrial facilities, whether that electricity is generated on-site or offsite
o Industrial Process Emissions: non-energy-related process emissions from industrial activities (e.g., direct CO2 emissions from chemical transformations in materials being processed)
o Manufactured Product Life Cycle Emissions: emissions generated from cradle-to-grave (or cradle-to-cradle) that include emissions generated both upstream of the manufacturing processes (supply chain) and downstream (during product use and end of life).
This US DOE roadmap frames the emerging and transformative technology pathways needed to achieve net-zero GHG emissions in the industrial sector by 2050. While the analysis focuses on the sector’s fuel- and electricity-related emissions, the discussion also highlights the importance of reducing process and product life cycle emissions in a holistic decarbonization strategy. The analysis is scoping in nature and highlights the key technology needs and opportunities, while also considering the necessity of maintaining and enhancing U.S. industrial competitiveness. This roadmap fills a greater technical and strategic need by laying out a cohesive technical approach for U.S. industrial sector decarbonization.
The roadmap identifies four key “pillars” of industrial decarbonization: energy efficiency; industrial electrification; low-carbon fuels, feedstocks, and energy sources (LCFFES); and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). Each represents a high-level element of an industrial decarbonization action plan, and a cohesive strategy will require all four pillars to be pursued in parallel. This framework captures important crosscutting approaches, such as the need for improved thermal operations and material efficiency, as well as material substitution and circular economy approaches. For example, end-of-life materials have the potential to provide low-carbon feedstocks via the LCFFES pillar; however, this needs to be done in an energy-efficient manner. Some cross-cutting topics need to be explored more thoroughly but are not covered in detail in this report. Such topics include bio-based options, material efficiency through product life cycles, circular economy approaches, and the interactions between multiple technology pathways.
Decarbonization opportunities are explored and quantified in this roadmap by studying subsector-specific and crosscutting technologies, processes, and practices for five of the most carbon-intensive manufacturing subsectors: iron and steel, chemicals, food and beverage, petroleum refining, and cement. These five subsectors together account for over 50% of the energy-related CO2 emissions in the U.S. industrial sector. Both geographically concentrated subsectors (chemicals, refining, iron and steel, and cement) and dispersed subsectors (food and beverage) are represented.
Scenario modeling undertaken in this roadmap shows that the application of these pillars can enable the industrial sector to reach near-zero CO2 emissions, with the balance of reductions required for an overall net-zero outcome achieved through the application of alternative strategies reaching beyond the four pillars (such as negative emissions technologies).
To read the full report and see complete results and analysis of this new study, Download the full report from the link above.
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