Cemex Will Help U.s. Doe Reduce Carbon Emissions

CEMEX recently accepted the honor of working with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop important technology that will secure and store the carbon dioxide emissions at one of its cement plants to decrease its carbon footprint on the earth and help improve the environment.

CCS Technology to Decrease Carbon Emissions From Industrial Plants

The DOE has initiated funding to develop and implement 12 CCS systems in industrial plants that include paper mills, chemical plants, manufacturing plants, refineries and cement plants. Reducing the carbon dioxide emission from these types of industrial plants will greatly impact the environment in a positive way by significantly reducing greenhouse gases that impact the environment.

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is designed to prevent up to 1 million tons of carbon dioxide from escaping into the environment each year, which would be a phenomenal improvement. CEMEX will partner with RTI International to create a large scale CCS system that incorporates a dry-sorbent carbon capture and compression system, an injection station and, if needed, a pipeline.

This project is designed to remove millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions from the environment that CEMEX cement plants would normally emit, as well as revolutionize the industry. Also, this project could produce jobs with a successful outcome because CCS would then be implemented throughout industry and require trained personnel to build, manage and maintain this technology.

CEMEX will share the cost with the U.S. DOE and fund 20 percent of Phase I of this CCS project. The U.S. DOE will contribute $1.4 M to get this project up and running. Since CEMEX is participating financially in this endeavor, CCS is more likely to succeed given the financial stake that the individual businesses themselves are putting into this project.

Why CEMEX Makes a Difference

CEMEX has been making environmental headlines for a while and is a cement company that is committed to shrinking its carbon footprint. The U.S. DOE and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) chose CEMEX to be their ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in March 2009 because of CEMEXs drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2008, CEMEX successfully conserved its energy usage to reduce their total carbon dioxide emissions by 115,000 metric tons.

CEMEX is a company that continues to look for ways to limit energy consumption, and accepting the CCS project is how CEMEX can take their efforts to the next level.

By reducing their total carbon emissions by 115,000 metric tons, CEMEX made a dramatic difference to the environment. For example, 21,000 cars emit about 115,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, meaning CEMEX saved this amount from entering the atmosphere. So imagine what reducing their output of carbon dioxide by millions of tons if CCS is a success. Not only will the cement world be revolutionized, but the entire industrial segment of business could potentially make the world a safer and cleaner place.