How does a heat pump helps you firing Portland cement, ceramics, melting glass and metal, fixating air nitrogen? And these are all 24/7 industrial processes.
These are still big challenges, but very bright people already work on them. For example, Germany’s Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber, a top climate scientist, is working on climate-friendly buildings. Other research groups have worked on recycling concrete into more climate-friendly cement as a co-product of electrical steel processes.
As you say, these are industrial processes and need to be addressed by industrial solutions. There are new processes for steel, cement and fertiliser being developed and tested. They will move to mainstream as we electrify everything.
Looking at glass, or cement. Do you know a heat pump that runs at up to 1600 C? So it’s just plain ohmic heating. And it’s a 24/7 process, so it needs electrochemical backup. Do you know what that does to your EROEI?
It’s not the first cab off the rank. Processes that are energy intensive may need careful consideration and I’m sure smart minds will work it out. We need to move forward and economics of energy production are shifting rapidly which will initiate change. It’s always been the case.
Careful consideration doesn’t work around thermodynamical limits very much, I’m afraid. When we move forward, we do not energy transition but rather add new atop the old: we never stopped burning classical biomass, coal or natural gas. Renewable energy is just a new thin layer on top. Depletion of mineral resources necessary for renewable infrastructure buildout and maintenance indeed does a number on the overall economics and energetics, but unfortunately in the wrong drection.
I tend to be more optimistic than that. If you take the view that there won’t be a shift from fossil and chemical processes that are destroying our environment then there is most likely no future for our kids. Either we find a way or billions will die. I’m heartened that we have alternative processes for steel, concrete and fertiliser as well as new battery technology but when evil swans like AI and satellite mega constellations appear, it is a downer.
How does a heat pump helps you firing Portland cement, ceramics, melting glass and metal, fixating air nitrogen? And these are all 24/7 industrial processes.
These are still big challenges, but very bright people already work on them. For example, Germany’s Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber, a top climate scientist, is working on climate-friendly buildings. Other research groups have worked on recycling concrete into more climate-friendly cement as a co-product of electrical steel processes.
As you say, these are industrial processes and need to be addressed by industrial solutions. There are new processes for steel, cement and fertiliser being developed and tested. They will move to mainstream as we electrify everything.
Looking at glass, or cement. Do you know a heat pump that runs at up to 1600 C? So it’s just plain ohmic heating. And it’s a 24/7 process, so it needs electrochemical backup. Do you know what that does to your EROEI?
It’s not the first cab off the rank. Processes that are energy intensive may need careful consideration and I’m sure smart minds will work it out. We need to move forward and economics of energy production are shifting rapidly which will initiate change. It’s always been the case.
Careful consideration doesn’t work around thermodynamical limits very much, I’m afraid. When we move forward, we do not energy transition but rather add new atop the old: we never stopped burning classical biomass, coal or natural gas. Renewable energy is just a new thin layer on top. Depletion of mineral resources necessary for renewable infrastructure buildout and maintenance indeed does a number on the overall economics and energetics, but unfortunately in the wrong drection.
I tend to be more optimistic than that. If you take the view that there won’t be a shift from fossil and chemical processes that are destroying our environment then there is most likely no future for our kids. Either we find a way or billions will die. I’m heartened that we have alternative processes for steel, concrete and fertiliser as well as new battery technology but when evil swans like AI and satellite mega constellations appear, it is a downer.
In cement production particularly: Pumps + co 2 capture = 5x efficiency in the process + negative carbon footprint
Add renewables and voila, best cement factory in the world