Assessment of Decarbonization Pathways for California’s Cement Sector

The report analyzes four decarbonization pathways for California's cement sector, all incorporating carbon capture and storage (CCS) to address process emissions. Pathways involving limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) and alternative fuels (woody biomass or engineered municipal solid waste) demonstrate the lowest lifetime carbon abatement costs, around $100 per metric ton of CO2. In contrast, full electrification combined with CCS is the most expensive at $479 per metric ton. While all pathways significantly reduce emissions relative to a baseline, the report highlights that energy costs are the primary driver of lifetime expenses. Qualitatively, the transition to these technologies is expected to provide net air quality benefits by reducing SO2 and particulate matter, although amine-based CCS may slightly increase VOC emissions.

• Four decarbonization pathways were modeled for a representative California cement facility, all utilizing carbon capture and storage (CCS) to address process emissions: CCS only (Pathway 1), Electrification + CCS (Pathway 2), Blended Cement (LC3) + CCS (Pathway 3), and Blended Cement (LC3) + Alternative Fuels + CCS (Pathway 4).
• Pathways 3 and 4, which utilize limestone calcined clay cement (LC3), have the lowest lifetime carbon abatement costs at approximately $100 per metric ton of CO2 (2024$). This is largely because LC3 requires 44% less clinker per metric ton of cement than ordinary Portland cement (OPC).

APA

Bailey, S., Grove, B., Ulama, D., Metz, L., Springer, C., Eash-Gates, P., & Weiss, I. (2026). Assessment of Decarbonization Pathways for California’s Cement Sector. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/resource/assessment-decarbonization-pathways-californias-cement-sector/

Chicago

Bailey, Sam, Ben Grove, Darryle Ulama, Lucy Metz, Cecilia Springer, Philip Eash-Gates, and Ida Weiss. Assessment of Decarbonization Pathways for California’s Cement Sector. Clean Air Task Force, 2026. https://www.catf.us/resource/assessment-decarbonization-pathways-californias-cement-sector/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bailey |first1=Sam |last2=Grove |first2=Ben |last3=Ulama |first3=Darryle |last4=Metz |first4=Lucy |last5=Springer |first5=Cecilia |last6=Eash-Gates |first6=Philip |last7=Weiss |first7=Ida |title=Assessment of Decarbonization Pathways for California’s Cement Sector |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=5 August 2026 |url=https://www.catf.us/resource/assessment-decarbonization-pathways-californias-cement-sector/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bailey2026assessment, author = {Bailey, Sam and Grove, Ben and Ulama, Darryle and Metz, Lucy and Springer, Cecilia and Eash-Gates, Philip and Weiss, Ida}, title = {{Assessment of Decarbonization Pathways for California’s Cement Sector}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2026}, month = aug, url = {https://www.catf.us/resource/assessment-decarbonization-pathways-californias-cement-sector/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }