Efficient use of cement and concrete to reduce reliance on supply-side technologies for net-zero emissions

Watari, Takuma; Cao, Zhi; Hata, Sho; Nansai, Keisuke

doi:10.1038/s41467-022-31806-2

Cited by 84 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…In this study, we confirmed that the CU indicators are highly inconsistent with CF in the material-producing and product-manufacturing industries, while RP is highly inconsistent with CF in the services industry. Understanding the interlinkage of both material and carbon flows in these industries , should thus be an important prerequisite to any discussion of reduction measures. In particular, the Scope 3 category showed marked conflict between improving MFIs and CF improvement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supply Chain Factors Contributing to Improved Material Flow Indicators but Increased Carbon Footprint

Hata,

Nansai,

Nakajima

2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Improvements in four material flow indicators (MFIs) have helped facilitate Japan's transition to a sound material-cycle society. However, the economic and technological factors that have affected these MFIs have not been identified previously. Moreover, it is unclear whether the improvements in the MFIs have contributed to Japan's progress toward carbon mitigation. In this study, we quantified the contribution of the factors in the capital-embodied supply chain to changes in the MFIs at the national and sector levels. We also examined the consistency of MFI improvements with carbon footprint reduction. Our results show that, in many sectors, structural changes in the supply chain improved two of the MFIs (resource productivity and material circularity) but increased the carbon footprint of the sector. To address this conflict, producers need to manage their supply chains based on an understanding of the nexus between material consumption and carbon emissions, paying particular attention to supply chains associated with capital formation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supply Chain Factors Contributing to Improved Material Flow Indicators but Increased Carbon Footprint

Hata,

Nansai,

Nakajima

2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Key to this strategy is how to deal with products with stringent impurity requirements . There is already evidence that upcycling is possible with today’s technologies through product design changes, advanced sorting, alternative shredding, processing, and component manipulation. , Low-carbon concrete : Thermal and electric energy efficiency will improve to 3 GJ/t-clinker and 85 kWh/t-cement, respectively, while the emission intensity of fuel will drop to 89 kg-CO 2 /MJ . The clinker-to-cement ratio will be reduced from the current 83% to the global average of 72%, while the cement content of concrete will be reduced by 15% .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Net-Zero Embodied Carbon in Buildings with Today’s Available Technologies

Watari,

Yamashita,

Serrenho

2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Greenhouse gas emissions from building constructioni.e., the embodied carbon in buildingsare a significant and growing contributor to the climate crisis. However, our understanding of how to decarbonize building construction remains limited. This study shows that net-zero embodied carbon in buildings is achievable across Japan by 2050 using currently available technologies: decarbonized electricity supply, low-carbon steel, low-carbon concrete, increased timber structures, optimized design, and enhanced building lifespan. The largest emissions savings would come from increased use of timber structures, with annual savings of up to ∼35% by 2050, even in cases where timber replaces low-carbon steel and concrete. Moreover, we show that an expanded domestic timber supply, coupled with responsible reforestation, could improve forest carbon uptake by up to ∼60% compared to the business-as-usual scenario, without the need to increase forest area. This is achieved through a forest-city carbon cycle that transfers carbon stocks of mature trees to cities as building materials and rejuvenates forests through reforestation. Collectively, our analysis demonstrates that the decarbonization of building construction depends not on future technological innovation, but rather on how we design and use buildings with the options we already have.

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“…Based on a lifecycle evaluation that included the supply sector [50], Kua et al (Singapore) examined climate change mitigation through food and plastic waste recovery and estimated a 37% reduction compared to the status quo scenario, which focuses on incineration. In a recent study in Japan, Watari et al [51] quantitatively proposed a pathway to carbon neutrality in the Japanese cement and concrete sector based on both supply-and demand-side measures. One of the primary issues to be addressed in the future is the presentation of the GHG emission reduction effects of material cycle measures, including such demand-side behavioral changes, and their reflection in future scenarios.…”

Section: Potential Reduction By More Materials Cycles and Resource Ef...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Japan’s greenhouse gas reduction scenarios toward net zero by 2050 in the material cycles and waste management sector

Yamada

Ii²,

Yamamoto³

et al. 2023

J Mater Cycles Waste Manag

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The first draft scenario toward net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 for the material cycles and waste management sector was presented by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan in August 2021. The details of the future GHG emission estimation used to create the draft scenario are described in this document. For multiple scenarios where more aggressive measures, such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), were included in addition to business-as-usual and the current policy continuity scenario, future GHG emissions were estimated as the sum of the products of activities and emission factors indicating changes in measures between scenarios. The estimation outcomes demonstrated that future GHG emissions from the solid waste management sector could be anticipated to be zero or even negative when material conversion to biomass, primarily for plastics, recycling to raw materials, and installation of CCUS at incineration facilities are assumed. Extensions of prior plans are not enough to reach the goal of net zero emissions, according to the measures necessary and the volume and pace of their implementation suggested in this study. Stakeholders should collaborate with great ambition.

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Efficient use of cement and concrete to reduce reliance on supply-side technologies for net-zero emissions

Cited by 84 publications

References 47 publications

Supply Chain Factors Contributing to Improved Material Flow Indicators but Increased Carbon Footprint

Supply Chain Factors Contributing to Improved Material Flow Indicators but Increased Carbon Footprint

Net-Zero Embodied Carbon in Buildings with Today’s Available Technologies

Japan’s greenhouse gas reduction scenarios toward net zero by 2050 in the material cycles and waste management sector

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