Decarb in Dubai
Cemtech’s annual meeting for the Middle East & Africa saw the regional industry gather once again in Dubai at the stunning Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk on 18-21 February 2024. The event offered delegates from over 40 countries two days of insightful presentations and discussions, networking and broad exploration of decarbonisation technologies.
Cemtech MEA examined different aspects of decarbonisation technologies through lively but skillfully-moderated panel
(© Cemtech)
Cemtech MEA 2024 drew in cement professionals from across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region for another dynamic two-day conference, busy exhibition and well-attended presentation programme, all of which offered valuable face-to-face time, networking opportunities and knowledge exchange.
To set the scene, UK-based industry analyst Yuri Serov provided a long-term projection of global cement demand, which he sees now peaking at around 4bnta. China’s anticipated fall in demand will be offset by growth in emerging countries, led by India, making for a more balanced distribution of demand worldwide. In 2050 global cement demand will be at approximately today’s level, although this figure could be lower if decarbonisation efforts to reduce clinker in cement, and cement in concrete, are successful.
Global industry stocktake
Jim O’Brien, Jim O’Brien CSR Consulting (Ireland), presented a ‘global cement industry stocktake’, assessing the industry’s performance towards 2030 decarbonisation commitments. Based on a cohort of 25 leading cement companies, he observed that net CO2/t emissions decreased by 3.3 per cent in 2022 when compared to the year before. In-plant emissions savings were achieved primarily through increased alternative fuel (AF) utilisation with thermal substation rates (TSR) up by 3.2 per cent YoY to reach 21.5 per cent in 2022.
