Cement companies drive fly ash market growth

The cement industry's sustainability targets will drive growth in the greener fly ash cement market, effectively resulting in its doubling in size to US$47bn by 2018, according to Lux Research.

However, the Lux Research report, 'Rags to Riches: Waste Incorporation to Cut Cost and Carbon in the Cement Industry' says that without innovations, overall emissions from the cement industry could still grow by 31 per cent in five years with the rise in global production. Cement makers will need to make greater use of natural gas and concentrated solar power as well as other material substitutions to keep the absolute emissions stable over the next five years, Lux Research senior analyst Aditya Ranade says.

The research house found that thermo-chemically treated fly ash has the potential to displace conventional ordinary Portland cement in a mix. A method developed by Stuart Licht at George Washington University to use concentrated solar to power cement production could disrupt the industry in as little as five years, the analysis says.