A new briefing paper from Mission Possible Partnership and Systemiq with support from HSBC highlights the commercial opportunity found in replacing clinker with limestone calcined clay in cement production.
This material has the potential to be a critical component in achieving fast emission reductions in this sector and comes with clear benefits:
- Cost reductions: Replacing clinker with limestone calcined clay reduces energy costs by over 33% compared to ordinary Portland Cement and reduces CO₂ emissions by a minimum of 40%
- Commercially proven: Infrastructure projects worldwide — including Colombia, Switzerland and Brazil — already use calcined clay cement, demonstrating proven performance and scalability. It is also already embedded in international cement standards
- Widely available: Compared to other Supplementary Cementitious Materials such as ground granulated blast-furnace slag and fly ash, calcined clay is more abundant and less subject to declining availability or rising costs
- High performance: Calcined clay-based cement mixtures offer similar strength and durability to alternatives and are suitable for use in harsh environments
- A drop-in solution: It is compatible with traditional clinker and suitable for processing in existing clinker kilns - allowing efficient use of current assets and making it a future aligned investment