Latin American and Caribbean cement sector targets net zero by 2050

The Federacion Interamerica del Cemento (FICEM) has opened the doors to the annual 2024 Technical Congress, a three-day conference and exhibition, taking place in the historic city of Cartagena, Colombia.

FICEM Executive Director, Maria José García, welcomed

over 450 delegates to the 2024 FICEM Technical Congress

Opening proceedings, FICEM Executive Director, Maria José García welcomed over 450 delegates to the meeting, which includes delegates from across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Tongbo Sui, VP of Sinoma International Engineering Co Ltd (China), gave an overview on cement sector decarbonisation and circularity in China’s cement industry, while Ricardo Pareja Soto, director of innovation and climate action, FICEM (Colombia), updated the audience on FICEM'S Net Zero 2050 Roadmap for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The region's cement sector is targeting climate neutrality by

2050, according to Ricardo Pareja Soto

According to Mr Pareja Soto, the regional cement sector is targeting full decarbonisation by 2050, of which 19 per cent will be achieved through concrete optimisation in the construction sector, 23 per cent through clinker factor reduction and coprocessing during the manufacture of clinker and cement, and a further 42 per cent reduction in emissions through carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). Further significant emissions reduction will be achieved through the shift to carbon neutral electricity (eight per cent) and the recarbonisation of concrete (eight per cent).

The keynote speakers were followed by presentations on sustainable cement production with contributions from cement producers such as Unacem Ecuador, Cemento Argos Panama, Cementos Progreso and Votorantim Cimentos. Suppliers such as Sonoma TCRDI, Refractechnik Cement and GCP Applied Technologies also informed delegates about a range of sustainable production technologies.