Cement, Energy and Environment

f ! 111· :H:lL ·llll · ~- · 1U:tlr.t:l as of FY 2013 (ibef.org ). The cement industry and its associations continuously try to improve environmental performance by optimizing the use of natural resources and reducing its overall energy consumption. Use of alternative fuel inlndian cement industries has a huge potential -thermal substitution of just 5% in cement industry can reduce India's emissions by about 0.1 %. Spiraling fuel costs, uncertainty in fuel availability and goal to reduce C0 2 emissions has also boosted cement plants in India to use AFR. Country Netherland Switzerland Austria Norway France Belgium Germany United States Japan India % TSR 83 48 46 35 34 30 42 25 10 Less than 1 Source: CEMBUREAU However, the current thermal substitution rate (TSR) in Indian cement industry is less than 1% as compared to some European countries that have a thermal substitution rate as high as 40% due to many challenges faced by the Indian cement industry. • • • • Cement plants are now more efficient in terms of energy effici ency and Implementation of cutting-edge technologies, Indian coal with its high ash content increases fuel consumption & coal import, inadequate su pplies, transportation constraints Less C0 2 emission as global cement manufacture accounts for about five percent of all man-made C02 emissions All Benefi ts of energy utilization and Co-processing of wastes • Industrial wastes have varying chemica l composition, heavy metals, chlorides, moisture level, calorific value etc. , Need of homogeneous wast e qua lity with contin uous supply • No Experience of Co-processing of wastes • Co-processing of heter ogeneous wastes required relatively large investments in competence, waste feeding system, a kind of equipment, pollution control measures, testing labora tories and infrastructure Figure-2: Benefits & challenges to adopt Co-processing 4 • ·-6-