Utilization of biomass energy in cement production: a pathway towards sustainable infrastructure

The most consumed material after water is concrete, with billions of tons used every year. The most important component and main binder for concrete is ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The production process of OPC is highly energy intensive, and one of the major contributors to the world's anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. These high emissions are as a result of the calcination of raw materials and the burning of fossil fuels, making the production process a sustainability threat to the environment. Also, the use of fossil fuel in cement production is responsible for the high cost associated with its finished products. As the demand for cement is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years, it is paramount to find alternative ways to reduce the embodied energy and carbon of cement by the use of alternative green fuels. One of the alternative green initiatives to make the production of OPC more sustainable is by replacing fossil fuels with green options such as biomass energy. Biomass are agricultural and agro-industrial materials which are readily obtained and does not require high processing compared to that of fossil fuels. Also, recent studies have shown the viability of using biomass as a renewable energy source for different applications and can reduce the carbon emission significantly compared to other types of fuels. In addition, biomass energy is more practical and cheaper for cement production compared to other possible green energy alternatives. This paper shows that having a greener cement production is achievable with the use of biomass as a renewable source of energy, however, posed with challenges that can be solved. The sustainable initiative of using biomass energy in cement production will lead to our infrastructures being resilient and sustainable for this generation and generations to come. It was concluded that partial use of biomass energy for cement production will lead not only to the reduction of the overall carbon emissions and energy usage but will also reduce significantly the cost of cement.