TOWARDS GREEN TRANSPORTATION: AN EVALUATION OF STRATEGIES FOR CARBON EMISSIONS MITIGATION IN CEMENT-BASED TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Abstract

The cement industry plays an essential role in the development of transportation and logistics infrastructure, yet it continues to be classified as a major industrial source of global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. The cement production process emits nearly 8% of the total anthropogenic emissions, positioning it as the second-highest industrial source of CO₂ emissions behind power generation. As sustainable transportation systems increasingly become a global priority, the decarbonization of cement-based infrastructure has emerged as an urgent challenge. The primary goal of the current study is to offer a comprehensive evaluation of key CO₂ mitigation strategies applicable to cement production, including the adoption of alternative fuels, reducing the ratio of clinker through supplementary cementitious materials, energy efficiency optimization, and carbon capture and storage technologies. This assessment offers a structured and multidimensional comparative assessment of these strategies in the cement industry. Using real-world cost and performance data for a standard 1-Mt/yr European cement plant, the analysis quantifies capital expenditure, levelized cost of abatement (€/t CO₂), CO₂ savings (kt CO₂/yr), and payback periods for each technology. The outcomes reveal that while operational improvements (e.g., alternative fuels use, supplementary cementitious materials) offer low-cost, short-payback solutions with moderate emission reductions, deep decarbonization requires carbon capture and electrification technologies, which remain cost-intensive and technically demanding. A marginal abatement cost curve and additional visual tools are developed to assist industry stakeholders in identifying optimal pathways. A sensitivity analysis on carbon price, discount rate, and electricity cost is conducted, and their effects on the levelized cost of abatement and the net economic benefit across the valuated technologies are quantified to examine the influence of policy and financing conditions. Based on these findings, a strategic roadmap is proposed that sequences near, mid, and long-term interventions. This work aims to support informed decision-making by plant managers, researchers, and policymakers striving toward net-zero goals in transport-related cement applications.