BUILDING MATERIALS
Wanted: emissions reduction
Sustainable solutions to
The November 2013 United Nations climate change conference identified human
actions as the dominant cause of global warming and highlighted an urgent need to
reduce carbon emissions by at least 4% per annum in order to stay within the global
carbon budget and prevent further harm to the environment.
Alongside other major industrial sectors,
several cutting-edge initiatives to mitigate
the cement industry has a major obligation to
environmental degradation, including
contribute towards achieving this objective,
technologies that make it possible to reduce
particularly since the traditionally resource-
energy and resource consumption at all levels
intensive cement making process has resulted
of production.
in this industry being ranked among the
Green manufacturing calls for the
world’s top contributors of carbon dioxide
preservation of natural resources and the
(CO2) emissions. Traditional cement making
reduction and, wherever possible, elimination
consumes large quantities of materials such
of harmful pollutants released into the
as limestone and other minerals. Although
atmosphere especially CO2. There have been
limestone is currently an abundant resource, it
widespread calls for green cement with
is non-renewable. At the same time, the energy
industry groups around the world adopting
required to power the kilns during clinker
different sustainable cement initiatives. These
production is considerable releasing high
approaches range from pushing for the reform
volumes of environmental emissions into the
of international building codes, to finding
atmosphere.
Energy conservation has become a major
focus area in the cement industry because,
apart from ever-increasing energy costs, there
are growing concerns over future energy
availability. In South Africa, the thermal energy
required to power the kilns is predominantly
alternative solutions to traditional high energy
AfriSam’s Ulco cement manufacturing plant in the
Northern Cape recently received an award from the
National Association for Clean Air (NACA) for the
completion of a multi-million rand bag house project
as well as for the operation’s dust suppression systems
to control a wide range of gaseous emissions.
highest industry in the world.
A typical cement plant presents several
intensive cements.
AfriSam signalled the authenticity of its
environmental conscience more than 15 years
ago with the introduction of an ahead-ofits-time environmental policy, long before
“green”, “sustainability” and “environmentally
derived from coal (direct feed into the kiln) and
additional environmental challenges that
friendly” became universal buzz-words. In fact,
electricity from the national grid. Every ton of
must be managed at each stage of production
it was the first cement producer in the world to
clinker produced from this process burns about
including dust emissions during blasting
develop an environmental policy of this kind.
200kg of coal.
activities at quarries and at the cement
Burning coal and other fuels produces
The company implements the drive towards
factories and the noise associated with these
“greening” its industry at several different
undesirable greenhouse gases. Both this
activities. The drive to achieve economic
levels simultaneously. In 2000 the company
process and the calcination of limestone and
growth is invariably associated with an increase
implemented a fully-fledged CO2 reduction
clay materials releases additional CO2 into the
in demand for cement and other building
programme and set ambitious targets to
atmosphere. On average, the amount of CO2
materials and this has prompted the industry
reduce emissions associated with its products,
released is almost 900kg for every 1 000kg of
to find new ways to overcome the associated
then took its first major step towards CO2
cement traditionally produced. Consequently,
environmental challenges and so embrace
reduction by launching Project Green Cement
the cement industry worldwide is judged to be
the challenge of making cement production a
that same year.
responsible for about 5% of the total carbon
sustainable process. This robust commitment
emissions into the atmosphere, among the
has already led to the introduction of
Between 1990 and 2012, the company
reduced its CO2 emissions per ton of
Continued
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HARDWARE AFRICA 2014