• Lower the carbon footprint of energy sources
and feedstocks by using lower-carbon fossil
energy and introducing low-fossil carbon
sources such as nuclear heat and electricity,
clean electricity, clean hydrogen, or biofuels
Iron and steel: Iron and steel manufacturing
is one of the most energy-intensive industries
worldwide. The use of coal as a feedstock
in production methods, the chemical reduction of
iron oxide, and the sheer volume of iron and steel
produced have made the industry among the highest
in GHG emissions. To help achieve net-zero goals,
the iron and steel sector can:
• Transition to low-and no-carbon fuels and
expand industrial electrification
• Pilot demonstrations for transformative
technologies such as hydrogen-steel
production, electrolysis of iron ore, and carbon
capture and utilization storage
• Improve materials efficiency and increase
materials circularity
Food and beverage: The food and beverage
industry is one of the largest energy
consuming and GHG-emitting industries in
the United States. To help achieve net-zero goals,
the food and beverage sector can:
• Improve energy efficiency by advancing the
electrification of process heating, evaporation,
and pasteurization processes
• Reduce food waste throughout the supply
chain through methods identified in life cycle
assessments and collaboration between
manufacturers.
• Pursue recycling and material efficiency through
alternative packaging and package waste
reduction
Cement: In the U.S. cement industry,
process-related CO2 emissions from
calcination account for about 58% of total
CO2 emissions and energy-related CO2 emissions
accounted for 42% of total emissions. To help
achieve net-zero goals, the cement sector can:
• Evolve existing processes to reduce waste,
including circular economy approaches for
concrete construction
• Improve materials and energy efficiency with
deployment of breakthrough technologies and
innovative chemistry solutions
• Expand use of carbon capture, utilization, and
storage technologies
• Increase use low carbon binding materials and
natural supplementary cementitious materials
to lower the carbon-intensity of clinker and solid
materials used to create cement
Four Key Pathways to Industrial Decarbonization
The roadmap identifies four key technological pillars
to significantly reduce emissions for the five most
energy-intensive sectors.
Energy Efficiency: Energy efficiency is a
foundational, crosscutting decarbonization
strategy and is the most cost-effective option
for GHG emission reductions in the near term.
Decarbonization efforts include:
• Strategic energy management approaches to
optimize performance of industrial processes
at the system-level
• Systems management and optimization of
thermal heat from manufacturing process
heating, boiler, and combined heat and power
sources
• Smart manufacturing and advanced data
analytics to increase energy productivity in
manufacturing processes
Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap Fact Sheet Page 2
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