Cement producers in Germany used more alternative fuels in their manufacturing processes last year than they did in 2020. The total amount of energy from waste-derived fuels climbed from 66.4 million gigajoules (GJ) to 67.6 million GJ. However, the alternative fuels’ share in the total energy mix stayed the same due to an overall increase in thermal energy consumption, according to 2021 environmental data published by the German cement industry association VDZ in mid-August.
All told, 97.7 million GJ of thermal energy was used to produce cement in 2021, up from 96.0 million GJ in 2020, the industry association reported in its 2021 edition of the "Environmental Data of the German Cement Industry". The resulting thermal substitution rate stood at 69.3 per cent in 2021, compared with 69.2 per cent in 2020. In previous years, the rate had climbed more sharply, having risen consistently from 61.0 per cent in 2012.
The German cement industry aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. The VDZ stated that the increased use of biomass and green hydrogen is expected to help to boost the alternative fuel rate. Green hydrogen has not been listed among the alternative fuels at all to date, and the role of biomass appears to be shrinking....
