Using artificial intelligence to decarbonise heavy industry

Carbon Re’s state-of-the-art AI aims to optimise processes in high-polluting industries and cut their carbon emissions

Spotted: Currently, the world’s most energy-intensive industries—including cement, steel, and glass—produce over 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Given their contribution to the world’s carbon emissions, minimising the environmental effects of industrial plants is vital. But plans to decarbonise heavy industry efficiently have been unsuccessful, often relying on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies that would take decades to scale. Carbon Re’s technology, by contrast, can be implemented quickly, requires no new equipment, and is already being used to cut emissions today.

In a world-first, the company is developing an artificial intelligence powered software (Delta Zero) to create ‘Digital Twins’ of industrial plants – which can then be monitored to analyse a specific plant’s output and efficiency. Procedures can then be optimised to reduce fuel usage, operational costs, and carbon emissions. Because Delta Zero continuously tracks the plant’s function, operators may alter and improve manufacturing processes virtually in real-time.

Today, the technology is being used in pilot projects at cement plants in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, allowing them all to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 10 per cent. But, with £4.2 million of seed money now raised with the help of Planet A Ventures, Carbon Re aims to scale-up Delta Zero Cement onto the global market and expand into the steel and glass industries.

Springwise has spotted other innovations seeking to reduce industrial carbon emissions, including a carbon-capture solvent and new biogas plants.

Written By: Matilda Cox