Main system
Industry
The high-heat processes and materials, such as steel, cement and chemicals, that underpin almost everything else.
Manufacturing, steel, cement and chemicals
Lower-clinker cement
Cement blends that replace part of the clinker with other materials, cutting the emissions of making it.
The problem
Making clinker, the core ingredient of cement, releases carbon dioxide both from the fuel burned and from the limestone itself.
Approach01
How it works
Materials such as calcined clay, limestone or industrial by-products take the place of some clinker in the mix.
Part of the clinker is replaced with other materials that still help the cement set and gain strength.
Blends are tested against the strength and durability a structure needs.
Engineers specify them where they suit the job, alongside conventional mixes.
Limitations02
Where it falls short
Building codes and standards can be slow to accept new mixes.
Some blends gain strength more slowly, which affects construction schedules.
Supply of the replacement materials varies from place to place.
At a glance
Where it fits.
- Main system
- Industry
- Also shapes
- Energy, Buildings, Carbon
- Used in
- Trialling lower-carbon cement
How solutions are sourced and reviewed is set out in our methodology.
System and projects
In practice.
Testing cement blends that use less clinker in a real building, alongside conventional mixes.
Most of cement's emissions come from making clinker, so using less of it is one of the most direct routes to cutting them.
Your questions, answered.
Quick answers about the platform and its content.
A technology or approach that addresses a specific problem in one or more systems, from heat pumps to land shared between farming and solar.
Only where a maturity stage is defined and backed by sources. We don't estimate one.
Always. Every solution lists where it falls short, alongside what it addresses and how it works.
To cover every system, from technologies like heat pumps and batteries to changes in how land, water and materials are used.
From published research and practice. Every entry is reviewed by people who know the field and linked to the systems, solutions and projects it relates to.
