Basic industries such as cement, steel, chemicals, and glass manufacturing require vast amounts of energy and generate unavoidable process-emissions. To reduce CO2 emissions and become climate neutral, these industries must transition to non-fossil sources for energy and feedstock. This involves increasing the use of renewable energy, reusing waste materials, and integrating biomass into their processes. The goal of this project is to analyse transformation pathways of the basic industries in Europe. To explore transition scenarios, we develop a computer model that shows how a combination of low-carbon energy systems and basic industries in Europe can achieve climate neutrality. The model incorporates methods for renewable energy generation, low-carbon industrial production, agricultural and forestry practices, and circular use of products and materials. This document outlines the project team’s perspective on the challenges, the planned approach, and the tools that will be developed to provide insights into achieving climate-neutral industrial production in Europe.
TNO et al. (Sat,) studied this question.