Geologic and Economic Criteria for Siting Clean-Coal Facilities in the Texas Gulf Coast, USA

The Texas Gulf Coast (TGC) contains the greatest number of favorably co-located CO₂ sources and sinks in Texas that favor new potential clean-coal facilities. Areas in the TGC with clean-coal potential were delineated by mapping spatial linkages between coal- and lignite-bearing formations and geologic and infrastructure factors that include proximity to existing fields from mine-mouth power plants for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), length of new pipelines to transport CO₂ from new clean-coal facilities to either EOR fields or to brine formations for deep storage, proximity to centers of electric load, and depth to subsurface coal for enhanced coalbed methane recovery. Other factors include thickness of brine formations for deep storage of CO₂, groundwater and surface-water availability, and proximity to railroads for haulage of western U.S. coal feedstock. Geospatial analysis of maps portraying the distribution of these factors, together with data on volumes of oil recoverable from miscible CO₂ flooding of oil fields, indicates that optimal areas for new clean-coal sites in the TGC are in east and southeast Texas. CO₂ pipeline networks linking these sites to EOR fields are integral components of systems that can typically recover 5–50 million stock tank barrels from miscible CO₂ flooding from each EOR field. Many of these fields with EOR potential (for example, Neches, Long Lake, Conroe, and Livingston) have a great potential for stacked CO₂ storage, in which multiple reservoir zones can undergo EOR development and deeper zones in the field can accommodate excess CO₂ from EOR operations.     

Potential for Coal-to-Liquids Conversion in the United States—Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis

The United States has the world’s largest coal reserves and Montana the highest potential for mega-mine development. Consequently, a large-scale effort to convert coal to liquids (CTL) has been proposed to create a major source of domestic transportation fuels from coal, and some prominent Montanans want to be at the center of that effort. We calculate that the energy efficiency of the best existing Fischer–Tropsch (FT) process applied to average coal in Montana is less than 1/2 of the corresponding efficiency of an average crude oil refining process. The resulting CO₂ emissions are 20 times (2000%) higher for CTL than for conventional petroleum products. One barrel of the FT fuel requires roughly 800 kg of coal and 800 kg of water. The minimum energy cost of subsurface CO₂ sequestration would be at least 40% of the FT fuel energy, essentially halving energy efficiency of the process. We argue therefore that CTL conversion is not the most valuable use for the coal, nor will it ever be, as long as it is economical to use natural gas for electric power generation. This finding results from the low efficiency inherent in FT synthesis, and is independent of the monumental FT plant construction costs, mine construction costs, acute lack of water, and the associated environmental impacts for Montana.

Pyrolysis of Municipal Solid Waste for Syngas Production by Microwave Irradiation

In the present study, we discuss the application of microwave-irradiated pyrolysis of municipal solid waste (MSW) for total recovery of useful gases and energy. The MSW pyrolysis under microwave irradiation highly depends on the process parameters, like microwave power, microwave absorbers, and time of irradiation. The thoroughness of pyrolysis and product recovery were studied by changing the abovesaid variables. Pyrolysis of MSW occurs in the power rating range of 450–850 W—outside this power rating range, pyrolysis is not possible. Experiments were carried out using various microwave absorbers (i.e., graphite, charcoal, and iron) to enhance the pyrolysis even at lower power rating. The results show that the pyrolysis of MSW was possible even at low power ratings. The major composition of the pyrolysis gaseous product were analyzed with GC–MS which includes CO₂, CO, CH₄, etc.     

An Analysis of Environmental and Economic Impacts of Fossil Fuel Production in the U.S. from 2001 to 2015

The production and burning of fossil fuels is the primary contributor to CO₂ emissions for the U.S. We assess the impact of producing coal, crude oil, and natural gas on the environment and economic well-being by analyzing state-level data from 2001 to 2015. Our findings show that coal production has led to more CO₂ emissions and no significant benefit to economic well-being. Crude oil production has a non-significant impact on CO₂ emissions but is related to a lower poverty rate, a higher median household income, and a higher employment rate. Natural gas withdrawals have a positive impact on median household income. We discuss these findings in the context of current U.S. energy policies and then provide directions for future research.     

Issues in Energy Economics Led by Emerging Linkages between the Natural Gas and Power Sectors

Fuel prices in 2006 continued at record levels, with uranium continuing upward unabated and coal, SO₂ emission allowances, and natural gas all softening. This softening did not continue for natural gas, however, whose prices rose, fell and rose again, first following weather influences and, by the second quarter of 2007, continuing at high levels without any support from fundamentals. This article reviews these trends and describes the remarkable increases in fuel expenses for power generation. By the end of 2005, natural gas claimed 55% of annual power sector fuel expenses, even though it was used for only 19% of electric generation. Although natural gas is enormously important to the power sector, the sector also is an important driver of the natural gas market—growing to over 28% of the market even as total use has declined. The article proceeds to discuss globalization, natural gas price risk, and technology developments. Forces of globalization are poised to affect the energy markets in new ways—new in not being only about oil. Of particular interest in the growth of intermodal traffic and its a little-understood impacts on rail traffic patterns and transportation costs, and expected rapidly expanding LNG imports toward the end of the decade. Two aspects of natural gas price risk are discussed: how understanding the use of gas in the power sector helps define price ceilings and floors for natural gas, and how the recent increase in the natural gas production after years of record drilling could alter the supply–demand balance for the better. The article cautions, however, that escalation in natural gas finding and development costs is countering the more positive developments that emerged during 2006. Regarding technology, the exploitation of unconventional natural gas was one highlight. So too was the queuing up of coal-fired power plants for the post-2010 period, a phenomenon that has come under great pressure with many consequences including increased pressures in the natural gas market. The most significant illustration of these forces was the early 2007 suspension of development plans by a large power company, well before the Supreme Court’s ruling on CO₂ as a tailpipe pollutant and President Bush’s call for global goals on CO₂ emissions.

Quantitative analysis of the impact factors of conventional energy carbon emissions in Kazakhstan based on LMDI decomposition and STIRPAT model

Quantitative analysis of the impact factors in energy-related CO₂ emissions serves as an important guide for reducing carbon emissions and building an environmentally-friendly society. This paper aims to use LMDI method and a modified STIRPAT model to research the conventional energy-related CO₂ emissions in Kazakhstan after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The results show that the trajectory of CO₂ emissions displayed U-shaped curve from 1992 to 2013. Based on the extended Kaya identity and additive LMDI method, we decomposed total CO₂ emissions into four influencing factors. Of those, the economic active effect is the most influential factor driving CO₂ emissions, which produced 110.86 Mt CO₂ emissions, with a contribution rate of 43.92%. The second driving factor is the population effect, which led to 11.87 Mt CO₂ emissions with a contribution rate of 4.7%. On the contrary, the energy intensity effect is the most inhibiting factor, which caused–110.90 Mt CO₂ emissions with a contribution rate of–43.94%, followed by the energy carbon structure effect resulting in–18.76 Mt CO₂ emissions with a contribution rate of–7.43%. In order to provide an in-depth examination of the change response between energy-related CO₂ emissions and each impact factor, we construct a modified STIRPAT model based on ridge regression estimation. The results indicate that for every 1% increase in population size, economic activity, energy intensity and energy carbon structure, there is a subsequent increase in CO₂ emissions of 3.13%, 0.41%, 0.30% and 0.63%, respectively.     

Multi-scale integrated assessment of urban energy use and CO2 emissions

Accurate and detailed accounting of energy-induced carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions is crucial to the evaluation of pressures on natural resources and the environment, as well as to the assignment of responsibility for emission reductions. However, previous emission inventories were usually production- or consumption-based accounting, and few studies have comprehensively documented the linkages among socio-economic activities and external transaction in urban areas. Therefore, we address this gap in proposing an analytical framework and accounting system with three dimensions of boundaries to comprehensively assess urban energy use and related CO₂ emissions. The analytical framework depicted the input, transformation, transfer and discharge process of the carbon-based (fossil) energy flows through the complex urban ecosystems, and defined the accounting scopes and boundaries on the strength of ‘carbon footprint’ and ‘urban metabolism’. The accounting system highlighted the assessment for the transfer and discharge of socio-economic subsystems with different spatial boundaries. Three kinds methods applied to Beijing City explicitly exhibited the accounting characteristics. Our research firstly suggests that urban carbon-based energy metabolism can be used to analyze the process and structure of urban energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. Secondly, three kinds of accounting methods use different benchmarks to estimate urban energy use and CO₂ emissions with their distinct strength and weakness. Thirdly, the empirical analysis in Beijing City demonstrate that the three kinds of methods are complementary and give different insights to discuss urban energy-induced CO₂ emissions reduction. We deduce a conclusion that carbon reductions responsibility can be assigned in the light of production, consumption and shared responsibility based principles. Overall, from perspective of the industrial and energy restructuring and the residential lifestyle changes, our results shed new light on the analysis on the evolutionary mechanism and pattern of urban energy-induced CO₂ emissions with the combination of three kinds of methods. And the spatial structure adjustment and technical progress provides further elements for consideration about the scenarios of change in urban energy use and CO₂ emissions.     

High Potential Regions for Enhanced Geothermal Systems in Canada

Previous estimates of geothermal energy potential in Canada give an indication of available heat to be ‘farmed’ at depth. This article examines in more detail depth–temperature relationships near large population centers in western Canada, as well as remote communities in northern Canada, in order to provide a first order assessment of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) potential for electrical generation. Quantities of EGS thermal power output and electrical generation are dependent on output temperature and flow rate. We relate these potential power rates as a whole to drilling and installation cost for the doublet systems and triplet system. Results show areas with significant EGS potential in northern Alberta, northeastern British Columbia, and southern Northwest Territories related to high heat flow and thermal blanketing of thick sedimentary cover. Estimated installation costs in 2008 dollars are under 2 mln$/MW_e. We also estimate significant reductions in CO₂ emissions by conversion to geothermal electric production.     

Nano-mechanical Properties and Pore-Scale Characterization of Different Rank Coals

Characterization of coal micro-structure and the associated rock mechanical properties are of key importance for coal seam exploration, coal bed methane development, enhanced coal bed methane production and CO₂ storage in deep coal seams. Considerable knowledge exists about coal chemical properties, but less is known about the nanoscale to the micro-scale structure of coals and how they change with coal strength across coal ranks. Thus, in this study, 3D X-ray micro-computed tomography (with a voxel size of 3.43 µm) and nano-indentation tests were conducted on coal samples of different ranks from peat to anthracite. The micro-structure of peats showed a well-developed pore system with meso- and micro-pores. The meso-pores essentially disappear with increasing rank, whereas the micro-pores persist and then increase past the bituminous rank. The micro-fracture system develops past the peat stage and by sub-bituminous ranks and changes into larger and mature fracture systems at higher ranks. The nano-indentation modulus showed the increasing trend from low- to high-rank coal with a perfect linear relationship with vitrinite reflectance and is highly correlated with carbon content as expected.

     

Subsurface Sequestration of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in the U.S: Is it Money Best Spent?

The continuously decreasing average coal rank (heating value), inadequate investment, and ever stricter air-emission controls have caused the average efficiency of electricity generation from coal in the U.S. to plummet to a mere 32% by the year 2008. The U.S. gas-fired powerplants are 30% more efficient than the coal-fired ones, with average efficiency of 43% in 2008. Replacing each 1,000 MW _e generated by an average coal-fired powerplant with an average gas-fired powerplant would avoid today 7 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions, 1.2 million tonnes of toxic ash, and significant issues with water contamination. The parallel upgrades to the more efficient supercritical steam turbines would decrease current emissions by up to 50% (from the current average plant efficiency of 32% to over 45%). The CO₂ captured in the new combined-cycle powerplants might be used to enhance oil recovery in local fields, where feasible. The CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) can never become the main sink for the gigantic CO₂ volume generated each year by electric powerplants. Currently, EOR could absorb only 1% of that volume.     

Effects of Elevated Atmospheric CO(2) on Rhizosphere Soil Microbial Communities in a Mojave Desert Ecosystem

The effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide [CO₂] on microbial communities in arid rhizosphere soils beneath Larrea tridentata were examined. Roots of Larrea were harvested from plots fumigated with elevated or ambient levels of [CO₂] using Free-Air CO₂ Enrichment (FACE) technology. Twelve bacterial and fungal rRNA gene libraries were constructed, sequenced and categorized into operational taxonomical units (OTUs). There was a significant decrease in OTUs within the Firmicutes (bacteria) in elevated [CO₂], and increase in Basiomycota (fungi) in rhizosphere soils of plots exposed to ambient [CO₂]. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that OTUs belonged to a wide range of bacterial and fungal taxa. To further study changes in bacterial communities, Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (QPCR) was used to quantify populations of bacteria in rhizosphere soil. The concentration of total bacteria 16S rDNA was similar in conditions of enriched and ambient [CO₂]. However, QPCR of Gram-positive microorganisms showed a 43% decrease in the population in elevated [CO₂]. The decrease in representation of Gram positives and the similar values for total bacterial DNA suggest that the representation of other bacterial taxa was promoted by elevated [CO₂]. These results indicate that elevated [CO₂] changes structure and representation of microorganisms associated with roots of desert plants.     

Carbon emissions trends with optimal balanced economic growth of China and the USA and some abatement options for China

It is believed that the global CO2 emissions have to begin dropping in the near fu- ture to limit the temperature increase within 2 degrees by 2100. So it is of great concern to environmentalists and national decision-makers to know how the global or national CO2 emissions would trend. This paper presented an approach to project the future CO2 emissions from the perspective of optimal economic growth, and applied this model to the cases of China and the United States, whose CO2 emissions together contributed to more than 40% of the global emissions. The projection results under the balanced and optimal economic growth path reveal that the CO2 emissions will peak in 2029 for China and 2024 for the USA owing to their empirically implied pace of energy efficiency improvement. Moreover, some abatement options are analyzed for China, which indicate that 1） putting up the energy price will de- crease the emissions at a high cost; 2） enhancing the decline rate of energy intensity can significantly mitigate the emissions with a modest cost; and 3） the energy substitution policy of replacing carbon intensive energies with clean ones has considerable potential to alleviate emissions without compromising the economic development.     

Continuous measurement of CO2 flux through the snowpack in a dwarf bamboo ecosystem on Rishiri Island,Hokkaido, Japan

To investigate the dynamics and environmental drivers of CO₂ flux through the winter snowpack in a dwarf bamboo ecosystem (Hokkaido, northeast Japan), we constructed an automated sampling system to measured CO₂ concentrations at five different levels in the snowpack, from the base to the upper snow surface. Using a gas diffusion approach, we estimated an average apparent soil CO₂ flux of 0.26 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ during the snow season (December–April); temporally, the CO₂ flux increased until mid-snow season, but showed no clear trend thereafter; late-season snow-melting events resulted in rapid decreases in apparent CO₂ flux values. Air temperature and subnivean CO₂ flux exhibited a positive linear relationship. After eliminating the effects of wind pumping, we estimated the actual soil CO₂ flux (0.41 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) to be 54% larger than the apparent flux. This study provides new constraints on snow-season carbon emissions in a dwarf bamboo ecosystem in northeast Asia.     

中国跨境风电项目的建设模式、梯度转移及减排潜力研究

作为“一带一路”倡议的样板工程和旗舰项目,中巴经济走廊中的风电项目建设已经初现规模。中国在巴基斯坦的工程建设中,风电优先项目涉及的项目金额约为6.47亿元,运营期累计发电量可以达到近180亿千瓦时,可累计减少二氧化碳排放13.90兆吨。伴随跨境风电项目的梯度转移,中国可再生能源项目落地并网取决于东道国的政策制度安排、建设运营模式、设备供应体系以及电价收购协议等。本研究有助于协助沿线国家完善能源政策制度、加快清洁电力发展、应对气候变化、落实碳减排承诺,为绿色“一带一路”建设中可再生能源项目的推广提供借鉴。     

中国钢铁产品国际贸易流与碳排放跨境转移

控制温室气体排放最终要落实到不同国家、不同行业之间的利益分配和责任分担,尤其是通过国际商品贸易转移的碳排放是在国家间分配排放配额时必须考虑的指标。基于中国钢铁产品国际贸易流的分析表明,中国在国际钢铁产品贸易中处于垂直产业内贸易的低端,中国具有比较优势的钢铁产品多为加工程度低、技术含量低、能源消耗强度大的初级产品。由于我国进出口钢铁产品在附加价值和能源消耗强度方面存在明显的差异,随着中国钢铁产品国际贸易规模的扩大,使大量CO₂排放责任向中国净转移。我国学者应以更加积极的姿态参与到国际谈判、国际规则的制订中,从产品生产者和消费者两个层面合理界定中国在全球温室气体减排中的责任,力争在气候变化国际谈判中确保中国的经济贸易利益。     

Specific Storage Volumes: A Useful Tool for CO2 Storage Capacity Assessment

Subsurface geologic strata have the potential to store billions of tons of anthropogenic CO₂; therefore, geologic carbon sequestration can be an effective mitigation tool used to slow the rate at which levels of atmospheric CO₂ are increasing. Oil and gas reservoirs, coal beds, and saline reservoirs can be used for CO₂ storage; however, it is difficult to assess and compare the relative storage capacities of these different settings. Typically, CO₂ emissions are reported in units of mass, which are not directly applicable to comparing the CO₂ storage capacities of the various storage targets. However, if the emission values are recalculated to volumes per unit mass (specific volume) then the volumes of geologic reservoirs necessary to store CO₂ emissions from large point sources can be estimated. The factors necessary to convert the mass of CO₂ emissions to geologic storage volume (referred to here as Specific Storage Volume or ‘SSV’) can be reported in units of cubic meters, cubic feet, and petroleum barrels. The SSVs can be used to estimate the reservoir volume needed to store CO₂ produced over the lifetime of an individual point source, and to identify CO₂ storage targets of sufficient size to meet the demand from that given point source. These storage volumes also can then be projected onto the land surface to outline a representative “footprint,” which marks the areal extent of storage. This footprint can be compared with the terrestrial carbon sequestration capacity of the same land area. The overall utility of this application is that the total storage capacity of any given parcel of land (from surface to basement) can be determined, and may assist in making land management decisions.     

Application of multi‐kinetic apatite fission track and (U‐Th)/He thermochronology to source rock thermal history: a case study from the Mackenzie Plain,NWT, Canada

Shale of the Upper Cretaceous Slater River Formation extends across the Mackenzie Plain of the Canadian Northwest Territories and has potential as a regional source rock because of the high organic content and presence of both oil‐ and gas‐prone kerogen. An understanding of the thermal history experienced by the shale is required to predict any potential petroleum systems. Our study integrates multi‐kinetic apatite fission track (AFT) and apatite (U‐Th)/He (AHe) thermochronometers from a basal bentonite unit to understand the timing and magnitude of Late Cretaceous burial experienced by the Slater River Formation along the Imperial River. We use LA‐ICP‐MS and EPMA methods to assess the chemistry of apatite, and use these values to derive the AFT kinetic parameter r_mr0. Our AFT dates and track lengths, respectively, range from 201.5 ± 36.9 Ma to 47.1 ± 12.3 Ma, and 16.8 to 10.2 μm, and single crystal AHe dates are between 57.9 ± 3.5 and 42.0 ± 2.5 Ma with effective uranium concentrations from 17 ppm to 36 ppm. The fission track data show no relationship with the kinetic parameter D_par and fail the χ²‐test indicating that the data do not comprise a single statistically significant population. However, when plotted against their r_mr0 value, the data are separated into two statistically significant kinetic populations with distinct track length distributions. Inverse thermal history modelling of both the multi‐kinetic AFT and AHe datasets, reveal that the Slater River Formation reached maximum burial temperatures of ~65–90 °C between the Turonian and Paleocene, indicating that the source rock matured to the early stages of hydrocarbon generation, at best. Ultimately, our data highlight the importance of kinetic parameter choice for AFT and AHe thermochronology, as slight variations in apatite chemistry may have significant implications on fission track and radiation damage annealing in apatite with protracted thermal histories through the uppermost crust.     

Cost Implications of Uncertainty in CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Storage Resource Estimates: A Review

Carbon capture from stationary sources and geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an important option to include in strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. However, the potential costs of commercial-scale CO₂ storage are not well constrained, stemming from the inherent uncertainty in storage resource estimates coupled with a lack of detailed estimates of the infrastructure needed to access those resources. Storage resource estimates are highly dependent on storage efficiency values or storage coefficients, which are calculated based on ranges of uncertain geological and physical reservoir parameters. If dynamic factors (such as variability in storage efficiencies, pressure interference, and acceptable injection rates over time), reservoir pressure limitations, boundaries on migration of CO₂, consideration of closed or semi-closed saline reservoir systems, and other possible constraints on the technically accessible CO₂ storage resource (TASR) are accounted for, it is likely that only a fraction of the TASR could be available without incurring significant additional costs. Although storage resource estimates typically assume that any issues with pressure buildup due to CO₂ injection will be mitigated by reservoir pressure management, estimates of the costs of CO₂ storage generally do not include the costs of active pressure management. Production of saline waters (brines) could be essential to increasing the dynamic storage capacity of most reservoirs, but including the costs of this critical method of reservoir pressure management could increase current estimates of the costs of CO₂ storage by two times, or more. Even without considering the implications for reservoir pressure management, geologic uncertainty can significantly impact CO₂ storage capacities and costs, and contribute to uncertainty in carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems. Given the current state of available information and the scarcity of (data from) long-term commercial-scale CO₂ storage projects, decision makers may experience considerable difficulty in ascertaining the realistic potential, the likely costs, and the most beneficial pattern of deployment of CCS as an option to reduce CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere.     

A Sustainable U.S. Energy Plan

This report gives guidance on what could be done to overcome the political stalemate that has long blocked the creation of a sustainable energy plan, leaving the United States vulnerable to oil imports while emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases. An overall energy policy is suggested for use by political leaders, along with specific goals on climate change and national security. This report proposes a timetable by which the climate change and national security goals should be accomplished. Converting these political goals into a cost-effective energy plan that would continue to get long-term political support would be the task of the technical community. A generic process is described which applies to all future energy systems and would give guidance to the technical community on how to create a mix of energy sources and conservation. This generic process is then tested on three possible energy futures. One energy future proposes that all of our electricity should come from renewable sources within 10 years. It is shown to be inadequate and would exacerbate environmental risks. The second possible energy future adds far more nuclear energy and coal plants with carbon capture and sequestration to the above renewable-only proposal. This second plan was a significant improvement over the all-renewable energy proposal, but does not address how transportation might be accomplished in the future. Converting coal to liquid fuels is identified as the major means to produce liquid fuels, as long as non-carbon dioxide emitting sources of process heat/hydrogen are employed in this coal conversion process. The third proposal, called an Energy Family approach, places first emphasis on conservation and then creates a mix of energy sources, renewable, nuclear, coal, natural gas, and some oil that could meet all the energy demands of a modern society, while staying within environmental and national security limits. This third approach appears to be most likely to get continuing support. There can be significant progress through “Second Generation” conservation, which extracts much more energy from our existing electrical generation and transmission system. Coal would have to undergo a major transformation from producing electricity to producing liquid fuels for transportation. Transportation and space heating and cooling would be far more electrified. Nuclear power would have to be expanded to replace many of the phased out coal plants, to provide electricity for transportation, and to supply high-temperature process heat and hydrogen. Long-term programs need to be put in place to assure nuclear power’s continuing contribution. Finally, energy storage is a component which is often overlooked, but is essential. It could overcome fundamental renewable energy difficulties of variability and the possibility of wind power to create electrical grid instabilities. It is shown that an Energy Family approach could accelerate the development of renewable energy.     

CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions from cement industry in China: A bottom-up estimation from factory to regional and national levels

Much attention is being given to estimating cement-related CO₂ emissions in China. However, scant explicit and systematical exploration is being done on regional and national CO₂ emission volumes. The aim of this work is therefore to provide an improved bottom-up spatial-integration system, relevant to CO₂ emissions at factory level, to allow a more accurate estimation of the CO₂ emissions from cement production. Based on this system, the sampling data of cement production lines were integrated as regional- and national-level information. The integration results showed that each ton of clinker produced 883 kg CO₂, of which the process, fuel, and electricity emissions accounted for 58.70%, 35.97%, and 5.33%, respectively. The volume of CO₂ emissions from clinker and cement production reached 1202 Mt and 1284 Mt, respectively, in 2013. A discrepancy was identified between the clinker emission factors relevant to the two main production processes (i.e., the new suspension preheating and pre-calcining kiln (NSP) and the vertical shaft kiln (VSK)), probably relevant to the energy efficiency of the two technologies. An analysis of the spatial characteristics indicated that the spatial distribution of the clinker emission factors mainly corresponded to that of the NSP process. The discrepancy of spatial pattern largely complied with the economic and population distribution pattern of China. The study could fill the knowledge gaps and provide role players with a useful spatial integration system that should facilitate the accurate estimation of carbon and corresponding regional mitigation strategies in China.