Does organic carbon in limestone add to a cement plant's CBAM figure?
Yes. Carbon in the raw meal that is not carbonate, such as organic matter or shale carbon, burns off in the kiln and the resulting CO2 counts as a process emission. It is usually small next to calcination, but it belongs in the figure when you report actual emissions.
Where it comes from
Some limestone, clay and shale carry organic carbon. In the preheater it oxidises to CO2 alongside calcination CO2.
How to count it
- Test total organic carbon in raw meal as part of your lab routine.
- Multiply carbon content by raw meal tonnes and by 44/12 to get CO2.
- Report it with calcination as a process emission.
When to skip it
If tests show it is negligible, record the tests and the reason in your monitoring notes rather than leaving it out silently.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads fuel, power and production records into dated, fingerprinted installation records, the starting point for the actual emissions your EU importer asks for.
Sources: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1773, CBAM reporting rules, 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, CBAM Regulation (EU) 2023/956, consolidated
Last reviewed 2026-10-22.