Cement Industry Launches SCR System to Cut Nitrogen Oxide Emissions

Korea's cement industry is launching systems to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions generated during cement manufacturing.

However, as expanding emission reduction facilities requires substantial investment, industry observers point out that government financial support is needed for cement companies struggling with management difficulties due to the construction downturn.

The Korea Cement Association said Wednesday it held a demonstration event for a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system at Asia Cement's Jecheon plant in North Chungcheong Province.

The installation and operation of the SCR system at Asia Cement's Jecheon plant was conducted as a national research project under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, with approximately 36.2 billion won invested in facility construction with government support. The system entered full operation after completing two months of trial runs, about two years after the installation plan was announced in December 2023.

SCR is considered the most effective prevention facility for reducing nitrogen oxides generated during cement production.

While SCR systems have been applied to small-scale production facilities at foreign cement plants, there had been no cases of application to highly concentrated large-scale production facilities like those in Korea's cement industry.

With the reduction performance and stability confirmed through Asia Cement's Jecheon plant trial results, the adoption of SCR across the cement industry is expected to accelerate.

However, considering that cement demand has fallen to its lowest level in 34 years due to the construction downturn, the SCR installation cost of 30 billion to 40 billion won per unit is expected to be a significant burden for the cement industry.

"To encourage the spread of SCR adoption, government-level financial support is urgently needed for items such as the nitrogen oxide emission charges that the cement industry pays approximately 16 billion won annually," the association emphasized.

The cement industry, which will be subject to integrated environmental permits starting July 2027, faces inevitable SCR installation due to strengthened nitrogen oxide standards.

However, the industry is having difficulty securing funds for SCR installation, which costs 30 billion to 40 billion won per unit, as domestic cement demand has plummeted amid the severe construction downturn.