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    1. Sustainability

    U.S. Cement Industry Achieves Record Efficiency in 2023

    Oct. 31, 2024
    In 2023, half of the cement consumed in the U.S. was low-carbon, blended.
    ID 155781286 © Krailas Yothayath | Dreamstime.com
    Cement pouring

    By: Portland Cement Association

    Last year was the most energy-efficient year yet for the U.S. cement industry, according to a recent survey from the Portland Cement Association (PCA). Its U.S. Labor-Energy Input Survey is an annual survey of PCA member companies.

    Other noteworthy trends include alternative fuel usage rising in 2023 to a 16% share of the industry’s fuel mix, up from 14.6% in the previous year’s report. Companies also experienced a growing consumption of natural gas and a decline in the use of coal and petroleum coke last year. 

    Additionally, natural gas’ share of total fuel consumption jumped to 31% last year from 25.3% in 2022, representing the highest reliance on natural gas among cement manufacturers since 1976. Some of the increased reliance is likely accrued to the decline in its price. Concurrently, coal and petroleum share of the fuel mix fell to its lowest level since 1974.

    These developments in the cement industry’s energy consumption come in the context of U.S. cement manufacturers increasing the production of blended, lower-carbon cements. In 2023, half of the cement consumed in the U.S. was blended.  According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s latest (July) publication, blended cement’s share of cement consumption reached 63%, reflecting an all-time high.

    The 2023 survey is released this year as PCA celebrates the third anniversary of its Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality.  October 23, 2021, U.S. cement manufacturers embarked on a nationwide strategy to decarbonize the industry by 2050, if not sooner.  They have made real progress, focusing on the production of lower-carbon cements, the use of alternative fuels, and the development of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage—which is the heavyweight of initiatives expected to deliver the industry to the carbon-free finish line.

    “Concrete—made with cement—is a material every single human uses every single day to lead a productive life.  Today’s society can’t function without it,” said Mike Ireland, PCA president and CEO, in a statement. “For a product that’s so essential and so prevalent, of course there is the challenge of carbon emissions. And as everyone relies heavily on the materials we provide, PCA member companies are doing more now than ever to reduce those emissions in accordance with the Roadmap.

    “But to reach our goal, we absolutely need the assistance of our value chain members, the public, and most importantly—the policymakers—who we hope will continue implementing clean energy and industrial decarbonization provisions included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Ireland. 

    A summary of PCA’s member companies’ accomplishments include: 

    • More than 6 million metric tons of carbon have been avoided since 2021.
    • 2023 became the most energy-efficient year for the cement industry.
    • 77% of PCA member companies are using alternative and/or renewable fuels in cement production.
    • Alternative fuel use rose to a 16% share of the industry’s fuel mix—an all-time high for U.S. cement manufacturing.
    • Natural gas’s share of fuel consumption in cement manufacturing is at its highest level since the 1970s. 
    • Lower-carbon cements comprised approximately 50% of the cements consumed in the U.S. in 2023, up from less than 5% in 2021.
    • More than 60% of cement produced in the U.S. is now lower-carbon cement.
    • Earlier this year, all 50 State Departments of Transportation approved the use of portland limestone cement, a blended cement that reduces the carbon footprint of projects by some 10%.