Decarbonising Europeʼs energy intensive industries

The report argues that deep decarbonisation of EU energy-intensive industries requires a combination of process innovations, product shifts, and business model transformations. For chemicals, this involves transitioning to bio-based feedstocks and enhanced plastics recycling. In steel, the HIsarna process and a shift toward electric arc furnace (EAF) production from scrap are highlighted. For cement, the report emphasizes calcium looping carbon capture and storage (CCS) and clinker substitution. It concludes that public policy, specifically the EU ETS Innovation Fund, is essential to bridge the gap between demonstration and commercialisation of these technologies by 2030.

• The EU chemical sector reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 60% between 1990 and 2013, primarily through reducing non-CO2 process emissions from nitric and adipic acid production.
• Transitioning petrochemicals to bio-based feedstocks using biomass waste is a key mitigation strategy; however, using food crops like sugar beets is limited by land-use competition.
• Enhanced recycling of plastics in the EU could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from virgin plastic production by approximately 18 million tonnes by 2025.
• Ammonia production can be decarbonised through Solid State Ammonia Synthesis (SSAS), which combines electrolysis and synthesis into one process, potentially acting as energy storage for renewable grids.
• The HIsarna steelmaking process avoids coking and sintering, reducing CO2 emissions by 20% and up to 80% if combined with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
• A shift from blast furnace (BF-BOF) to electric arc furnace (EAF) production using scrap would significantly lower emissions, as the EAF route produces only 0.455 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of steel compared to 1,888 tonnes for BF-BOF.
• The cement industry can achieve deep reductions through calcium looping CCS, which can capture over 80% of emissions and potentially reduce the energy required for cement production by 50%.
• Clinker substitution using alternative materials like Aether® cement can reduce production emissions by up to 30% while maintaining properties similar to Portland cement.
• The EU ETS Innovation Fund (2020-2030) is critical for commercialising breakthrough technologies, and the report suggests using milestone-based rewards and a toolbox of loans and grants to manage risk.

APA

Wyns, T., & Axelson, M. (n.d.). Decarbonising Europeʼs energy intensive industries. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Final-Frontier-Innovation-Report-Web-Version.pdf

Chicago

Wyns, Tomas, and Matilda Axelson. Decarbonising Europeʼs energy intensive industries. Carbon Market Watch, n.d. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Final-Frontier-Innovation-Report-Web-Version.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wyns |first1=Tomas |last2=Axelson |first2=Matilda |title=Decarbonising Europeʼs energy intensive industries |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Final-Frontier-Innovation-Report-Web-Version.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wynsnddecarbonising, author = {Wyns, Tomas and Axelson, Matilda}, title = {{Decarbonising Europeʼs energy intensive industries}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Final-Frontier-Innovation-Report-Web-Version.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }