ARTICLE

Research on hydrogen applied to calcinate cement clinker coupled with alternative fuel for carbon emission reduction

Fuel consumption in the calciner represents 60% of the total fuel used in cement clinker production. This study investigates the feasibility of utilizing hydrogen as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels in the calciner. A numerical model was developed to simulate a hydrogen-powered calciner, and a hydrogen suspension furnace test platform was established to investigate the coupling of H2 with pulverized coal and rice husk as a representative biomass alternative fuel. Results indicate that hydrogen significantly reduces NOx and CO emissions, which are associated with the incomplete combustion of alternative fuels. The study also discusses the mechanism by which H2 contributes to the reduction of CO, NOx, and CO2, highlighting the key role of H and OH radicals. It confirmed the feasibility of hydrogen calcination for cement by full combustion of different kinds of fuels. Additionally, a technology pathway is proposed from an engineering perspective, suggesting that using green hydrogen coupled with alternative fuels could reduce fuel carbon emissions by 80%, offering a potential route for industrial-scale hydrogen-based cement calcination.

1  Introduction

With about 50% share of the world’s cement production, Chinese cement production consumes approximately 200 million tons of coal and emits around 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually [1, 2]. It is a serious challenge for the cement industry to reduce carbon

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Jiaomei Ma, Daorong Fan, Jiashuo Wang, Xueping Peng*, Liang Zhao, Huanying Yang
Tianjin Cement Industry Design & Research Institute Co. Ltd., China
*Corresponding Author: Xueping Peng. Email: pengxueping@sinoma-tianjin.cn
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Cite This Article

APA Style
Ma, J., Fan, D., Wang, J., Peng, X., Zhao, L. et al. (2026). Research on hydrogen applied to calcinate cement clinker coupled with alternative fuel for carbon emission reduction. ZKG International, 90–104. https://doi.org/10.32604/zkg.2026.077728
Vancouver Style
Ma J, Fan D, Wang J, Peng X, Zhao L, Yang H. Research on hydrogen applied to calcinate cement clinker coupled with alternative fuel for carbon emission reduction. ZKG Int.. 2026;:90–104. https://doi.org/10.32604/zkg.2026.077728
IEEE Style
J. Ma, D. Fan, J. Wang, X. Peng, L. Zhao, and H. Yang, “Research on hydrogen applied to calcinate cement clinker coupled with alternative fuel for carbon emission reduction,” ZKG Int., pp. 90–104, 2026. https://doi.org/10.32604/zkg.2026.077728
This article appeared in

ZKG 04/2026

This article appeared in

ZKG 04/2026

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