Decarbonization pathway of Brazil's cement industry: a systematic review

Cement production, one of the most carbon-intensive industrial sectors, is identified as a crucial area for decarbonization, as it contributes significantly to CO₂ emissions. The global strategy of the Paris Agreement aims to limit the increase in the average global temperature, and cement production must contribute to this by reducing its emissions. In this context, Brazil, with the support of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), has developed the Cement Technology Roadmap - Brazil, with the aim of reducing the industry's carbon intensity by 2050. The goal is to reduce CO₂ emissions from 0.56 to 0.38 tons per ton of cement. In addition to the reduction objectives, this study provides a comprehensive systematic review of the historical trend of emissions and the future path for decarbonization in the cement industry in Brazil, which covers the main levers for decarbonization in the cement industry in Brazil, bringing the scientific practices that have been developed, data, new opportunities, main technologies and the potential for carbon mitigation. The results showed, which carbon reduction mitigation measures are being applied and/or studied in Brazil, related to the main levers for CO₂ emission mitigation, which are: energy efficiency, alternative fuels, supplementary cementitious materials, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology.