(2hx) Comparison of Decarbonization Effectiveness Among Steelmaking, Cement, and Aluminum Sectors

Teaching Interests:

As an up-and-coming investigator, my goals for future prospects in academia also reside with a strong basis in teaching. My teaching philosophy is focused on a delicate balance of creative formation and analytical process. That is, while the techniques associated with environmental techno-economic analysis might be the language a student uses to support their conclusions (and, eventually, a published paper), one needs to also step back and consider inspiring ideas that propel a new generation of innovation.

In the past, I have served as teaching assistants in courses on heat transfer, engineering economics, simulation & modeling, and chemical principles. My experiences in this wide array of coursework has taught me to consider a holistic approach to teaching. For example, it would not be out of the question for me to have a deep-dive course focused on just, say, the Portland cement production from limestone; students would be to asked to perform economic, environmental, and ecological analyses when choosing plant location. These would lead to fruitful discussions on local labor conditions, raw material availability, infrastructure development, purchasing power parity, political landscapes, sustainable scenarios, externalities, and so on, much of which requires a blend of keen analytical thinking and practical solutions. I hope to imbue my personal teaching styles along with concrete coursework to make my classroom accessible, inclusive, and elucidating.

Abstract:

The industry sector contributes to more than 30% of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Steelmaking, cement, aluminum are top CO₂ emission industries. The intrinsic characteristic of these processes, for example, cement produced from limestone clinkerization reaction, counts for two-thirds of total cement process CO₂ emission. The remainder is contributed by its heating source, a carbon-intensive fuel; aluminum, on the other hand, requires intensive electricity input compared to the steelmaking and cement industry.

Though the demand of steel, cement, and aluminum are predicted to increase from 2020 to 2040, the greenhouse gas (GHG) is expected to decrease to satisfy sustainable development goals such as net-zero emissions, 1.5 áµ’C scenario, etc. To achieve the sustainable development goal, decarbonization is necessary. Environment and techno-economic analysis will be used to answer questions such as what technology to be used, which industry/industries to decarbonize and to what extent, what is the cost of CO₂ mitigation, etc. Four representative countries/locations (China, the USA, India, and EU-27) will be studied. This work aims to provide information in guiding decarbonization strategies from a country level. In addition, the various studied steel, cement, and aluminum production pathways and decarbonization options will be incorporated into MIT Energy Initiative’s SESAME platform, from where people could reference the live data as well as customize it for their own needs.