3 Strategies to Address Emissions in Hard-to-Decarbonize Sectors

President Joe Biden pledged to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% by 2035. 

Sectors like transportation and power are already making headway with electric vehicles and renewable energy. But there is a tougher nut to crack: hard-to-decarbonize industries like cement, steel, chemicals, and aviation.

Reducing emissions in these industries is tricky because of the very nature of their operations and their heavy reliance on fossil fuels. These industries need huge amounts of energy for their processes. 

Simply switching to renewable electricity, while helpful, isn't enough for the deep changes needed in these areas. So, how do you tackle industrial emissions when you’re among the hard-to-decarbonize sectors? We’ll share a few strategies here.

#1 Switch to Low-Carbon Materials and Processes

One powerful way to cut industrial emissions is by changing the raw materials and methods we use. This means making products with less carbon from the start.

Cement production is a major contributor to carbon emissions, accounting for roughly 8% of the total. A major culprit is clinker, a solidified material produced in a kiln at extremely high temperatures during cement manufacturing. It releases huge amounts of CO2 both from the fuel used and the chemical reactions involved.

Supplementary cementitious materials are helping tackle this. These are alternative materials like fly ash or ground blast furnace slag that replace some of the clinker. These byproducts and natural materials reduce emissions as well as enhance the durability of concrete.

Steel production is also a major contributor to industrial emissions, accounting for nearly a third of all such pollution. 

Switching to electric arc furnaces (EAFs) significantly reduces emissions in steel production. EAFs melt recycled scrap metal, so it’s far less energy-intensive and generates substantially fewer emissions than methods that use raw materials. 

Case in point—Gerdau. The leading steel producer in the U.S. uses over 96% recycled content in its steel. It even powers some of its operations with clean hydropower.

#2 Capture the Pollutants You Can’t Avoid

Some industrial emissions are truly unavoidable, like the CO2 released from limestone during cement production. 

CO2 capture technology can help reduce these emissions. There are two fundamental approaches to carbon capture: point-source and direct air. 

Point-source CO2 capture technology captures emissions directly from industrial facilities before they escape into the atmosphere. 

Meanwhile, direct air capture captures the gas directly from ambient air, pulling it through adsorbent or absorbent material. 

Atoco explains that metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) are used in direct air capture systems. It further adds that these porous, structurally stable compounds, categorized as reticular materials, are designed to effectively extract CO2. 

Once captured, you can store CO2 permanently deep underground in geological formations, like saline aquifers or old oil fields. Or you can use it to make new products, like fuels or building materials.

The International Energy Agency emphasizes that reaching net-zero emissions would be virtually impossible without this technology. 

And so, the U.S. government is heavily investing in this tech. The 45Q tax credit now offers up to $80 per ton for industrial capture and $180 per ton for direct air capture.  

#3 Use Green Hydrogen as a Clean Fuel and Feedstock

For industries demanding extremely high temperatures, where direct electricity falls short, green hydrogen emerges as a transformative solution. 

Green hydrogen is made by splitting water using electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind. This process, called electrolysis, produces no carbon pollution.

In steel production, green hydrogen can replace coal as both a fuel and a chemical reducing agent. Instead of using carbon to strip oxygen from iron ore, you use hydrogen. This process creates water vapor, not CO2. 

The ammonia industry, which makes fertilizers that feed much of the world, is already exploring green hydrogen. Traditional ammonia production relies on natural gas, but green hydrogen can do the same job without the carbon footprint. This is huge because ammonia production accounts for about 2% of global CO2 emissions.

Green hydrogen also works great for high-temperature heating in industries like glass and ceramics. These sectors need intense heat that is hard to provide with electricity alone, but hydrogen burns cleanly and can reach the temperatures they need.

It’s no surprise that the U.S. is strongly committed to clean hydrogen. It has a detailed National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap in place, with big plans to significantly boost clean hydrogen production by 2030 and beyond.

There is also the ‘Hydrogen Energy Earthshots’ initiative that aims to drastically reduce production costs to just $1 per kilogram within a decade. 

Building a Brighter, Cleaner Industrial Future

Tackling industrial emissions in hard-to-decarbonize sectors is a monumental challenge. But these innovative solutions are already making a real difference. 

These solutions are not just about reducing pollution. They are about creating new jobs, boosting our economy, and making the U.S. a global leader in clean industrial solutions. Thanks to ongoing innovation and smart policies like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. is on its way to achieving its climate goals. 

It is a big journey, sure. But with American ingenuity and dedication, real progress is being made, one clean step at a time. 

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