Hardware Africa 2014 2014 | Page 46

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 page 52 46 HARDWARE AFRICA 2014