Assessing the potential of decarbonization options for industrial sectors

Abstract

Industry emits around a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper presents the first comprehensive review to identify the main decarbonization options for this sector and their abatement potentials. First, we identify the important GHG emitting processes and establish a global average baseline for their current emissions intensity and energy use. We then quantify the energy and emissions reduction potential of the most significant abatement options, as well as their technology readiness level (TRL). We find that energy-intensive industries have a range of decarbonization technologies available with medium to high TRLs, and mature options also exist for decarbonizing low-temperature heat across a wide range of industrial sectors. However, electrification and novel process change options to reduce emissions from high-temperature and sector-specific processes have much lower TRLs in comparison. We conclude by highlighting important barriers to the deployment of industrial decarbonization options and identifying future research, development, and demonstration needs.