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Audit-Ready Carbon Reporting for Cement and Concrete Producers

Track cement kiln calcination process emissions, fuel consumption, clinker substitution rates, and alternative fuels usage for construction materials operations.

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The Industry Hotspot: Cement Kiln Calcination Process Emissions

Process emissions dominate

Cement production generates emissions from two sources: process emissions from limestone calcination where calcium carbonate decomposes releasing CO2, and combustion emissions from kiln fuel. Process emissions account for roughly sixty percent of total cement emissions and are inherent to the chemical reaction. Kiln fuel (coal, petroleum coke, natural gas) provides high temperatures for clinker formation. Alternative fuels from waste and biomass can reduce combustion emissions. Clinker substitution with supplementary cementitious materials reduces overall cement carbon intensity. NetNada tracks limestone calcination, kiln fuel consumption, clinker substitution rates, and alternative fuel percentages.

SASB Industry Definition

The Construction Materials industry produces cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates (sand, gravel, crushed stone), asphalt, and gypsum products for building and infrastructure construction. Cement production is highly carbon-intensive due to limestone calcination process emissions and high-temperature kiln fuel consumption. The industry faces regulatory pressure to reduce emissions through alternative fuels, clinker substitution, and carbon capture technologies.

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Industry-Specific Carbon Accounting

No generic solutions. Metrics, data sources, and reporting aligned to Construction Materials operations.

Cement Kiln Process Emissions Calculation

Limestone calcination releases CO2 when calcium carbonate breaks down into calcium oxide and CO2. Track limestone consumption and clinker production. Calculate process emissions inherent to chemical reaction. Report separately from fuel combustion emissions. Process emissions unavoidable in traditional Portland cement production requiring alternative chemistries or carbon capture to eliminate.

Process vs fuel emissions split

Kiln Fuel Consumption and Alternative Fuels

Cement kilns require high temperatures typically fueled by coal, petroleum coke, or natural gas. Alternative fuels include waste-derived fuels, biomass, used tires, and industrial waste. Track fuel consumption by type, calculate combustion emissions, and report alternative fuel substitution rate. Biomass fuels reduce net fossil CO2 when biogenic carbon is accounted separately.

Alternative fuel rate tracked

Clinker Substitution with SCMs

Supplementary cementitious materials (fly ash from coal power plants, blast furnace slag from steel mills, natural pozzolans) can replace clinker in cement blends. Clinker has high carbon intensity from calcination. Substitution reduces emissions per tonne cement product. Track clinker factor (clinker mass per cement mass) and calculate emission reduction from blending. Report percentage clinker replacement achieved.

Clinker substitution rate

Concrete Mix Design Carbon Optimization

Ready-mix concrete producers can optimize mix designs to reduce cement content while maintaining strength. Higher slag or fly ash content, optimized aggregate grading, and chemical admixtures allow cement reduction. Calculate emissions per cubic meter concrete by mix design. Offer low-carbon concrete products with verified carbon footprint reduction compared to standard mixes.

Concrete emissions per m³

Carbon Capture Feasibility Assessment

Cement kilns produce concentrated CO2 streams amenable to carbon capture. Capture technology can address both process and combustion emissions. Model capture rates, energy penalty, capital and operating costs. Calculate abatement cost per tonne CO2 captured. Assess economics under carbon pricing scenarios and low-carbon product premiums.

CCUS feasibility modeled

SASB EM-CM Metrics Automation

Auto-generate disclosure including gross Scope 1 emissions, emissions per tonne cementitious product, clinker-to-cement ratio, alternative fuel rate, and supplementary cementitious materials usage percentage. Footnotes cite production volumes and clinker substitution methodology.

SASB EM-CM compliant

Product Features for Construction Materials

Use Carbon Data Uploader to import kiln fuel consumption, limestone throughput, and clinker production data for automated cement emissions calculation. Learn more →

The Activity Calculator applies emission factors for limestone calcination, kiln fuels, and supplementary materials—calculating cement and concrete carbon intensity. Learn more →

Related Solutions

See our Carbon Accounting solution for end-to-end construction materials emissions tracking from quarrying through cement and concrete production.

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Construction Materials Case Studies

How entities in this industry use NetNada to solve carbon accounting challenges.

Integrated Cement Producer (3M tonnes cement/year, kilns and ready-mix operations)

Challenge

Green building certifications increasingly specifying low-carbon concrete. Customers demanded EPDs showing concrete mix carbon footprints. Baseline cement emissions unknown at product level. Needed to quantify clinker substitution impact.

Solution

Deployed NetNada tracking kiln process emissions, fuel consumption, fly ash and slag usage in cement blends. Calculated emissions per tonne clinker and per tonne cement by blend type. Generated concrete mix EPDs showing emissions per cubic meter for standard and low-carbon mixes.

Result

Launched three certified low-carbon concrete product lines with progressively higher slag content achieving emission reductions of fifteen, thirty, and forty-five percent versus standard concrete. Won major infrastructure project contracts specifying low-carbon concrete. Premium pricing for low-carbon products offset higher supplementary material costs.

Cement Manufacturing Plant (Single kiln, 1.5M tonnes clinker/year)

Challenge

EU ETS carbon costs increasing significantly under Phase IV. Alternative fuel rate below sector average resulting in higher fuel combustion emissions. Needed business case for alternative fuel investments and carbon capture feasibility assessment.

Solution

Used NetNada to model alternative fuel scenarios: increased waste-derived fuel and biomass co-firing. Calculated combustion emission reduction potential and fuel cost savings. Evaluated carbon capture retrofit with post-combustion capture technology sizing and cost estimation.

Result

Implemented alternative fuel system enabling waste co-firing. Alternative fuel rate increased from twenty to fifty percent reducing combustion emissions substantially. Fuel costs decreased due to gate fees for waste fuel. Carbon capture remains uneconomic at current carbon prices but demonstrated readiness for future deployment if carbon prices reach projected levels.

SASB Disclosure Topics for Construction Materials

Material sustainability topics beyond emissions that investors and stakeholders expect disclosed per SASB standards.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

environment

Track Scope 1 from limestone calcination process emissions and kiln fuel combustion. Report emissions per tonne cementitious product and per tonne clinker produced. Disclose clinker-to-cement ratio.

Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials

environment

Monitor alternative fuel substitution rate (waste-derived fuels, biomass, tires). Track supplementary cementitious materials (fly ash, slag) usage. Report percentage clinker replacement in cement products.

Air Quality

environment

Track particulate matter, NOx, and SOx emissions from kilns. Monitor mercury and heavy metal emissions from alternative fuel combustion. Report air quality compliance and control technologies.

Energy Management

environment

Monitor thermal efficiency of kilns and electrical efficiency of grinding operations. Report energy consumption per tonne cement. Disclose waste heat recovery systems.

Workforce Health and Safety

social

Report injury rates for quarry operations and plant workers. Disclose respirable crystalline silica exposure controls and personal protective equipment protocols.

Carbon Capture and Low-Carbon Cement

business model

Disclose investments in carbon capture technology for cement kilns. Report volumes of low-carbon cement products and novel binder development (geopolymer, calcium silicate).

NetNada tracks all SASB material topics, not just emissions. Our platform supports disclosure across environmental, social, governance, and business model topics relevant to your industry.

Construction Materials FAQs

Common questions about carbon accounting for this industry

Why are cement emissions so difficult to reduce compared to other industries?
Cement production has two emission sources: process emissions from limestone calcination chemistry (unavoidable in Portland cement) and fuel combustion emissions from high-temperature kilns. Process emissions are inherent to chemical reaction producing clinker and represent majority of total. Unlike power generation which can switch to renewables, cement requires either alternative cement chemistries, clinker substitution with supplementary materials, or carbon capture to deeply decarbonize. These solutions face technical and economic barriers limiting rapid deployment.
What is clinker substitution and how does it reduce cement carbon footprint?
Clinker is the carbon-intensive intermediate product from limestone calcination in kilns. Pure Portland cement is nearly one hundred percent clinker. Blended cements substitute clinker with supplementary cementitious materials like fly ash or slag. These materials have much lower embodied carbon as industrial byproducts. Higher substitution rates reduce average emissions per tonne cement product. Typical clinker factors range from ninety-five percent (low substitution) to sixty-five percent (high substitution). Performance requirements limit maximum substitution levels for some applications.
Can carbon capture technology be applied to cement kilns?
Yes, cement kilns produce relatively concentrated CO2 streams making them suitable for carbon capture. Both process and combustion emissions can be captured. Several pilot projects underway globally testing post-combustion capture, oxyfuel combustion, and calcium looping technologies. Challenges include high energy penalty, capital costs, and CO2 transport and storage infrastructure requirements. Abatement costs currently high but improving. Economics depend on carbon pricing levels and potential low-carbon cement product premiums.
What are alternative fuels in cement production and do they reduce emissions?
Alternative fuels replace fossil fuels (coal, petroleum coke) in cement kilns with waste-derived materials including municipal solid waste, industrial waste, used tires, biomass, and refuse-derived fuel. Fossil fuel alternatives reduce combustion emissions. Biogenic fuels (waste wood, agricultural residues) considered carbon neutral as CO2 was recently absorbed during biomass growth. Must account for fuel transport emissions and methane from waste diversion from landfills. Alternative fuel rate reported as percentage thermal energy from alternatives. Leaders achieve fifty percent plus substitution.
How do emissions differ between cement and ready-mix concrete?
Cement production (clinker and grinding) generates high emissions from calcination and kiln fuel. Concrete production involves mixing cement with aggregates, water, and admixtures—adding minimal additional emissions from mixer fuel and batch plant operations. Concrete emissions dominated by cement content. Lower cement-to-concrete ratio reduces emissions per cubic meter concrete. Ready-mix producers can influence emissions through mix design optimization but cement producers control majority of supply chain carbon intensity.

Track Cement Kiln Process Emissions and Clinker Substitution

See how cement and concrete producers calculate emissions per tonne product, model clinker substitution impacts, and generate SASB-compliant disclosures.

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