Cement, Energy and Environment

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION & RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Pollution Control CENTRE HAULS UP SIX CEMENT PLANTS OVER ENVIRONMENT VIOLATION Mumbai, Feb.2: The Centre has issued directions to six cement companies for violating environment laws. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had earlier in December 2009 said that of the total 128 cement plants in the country, six cement plants are non-compliant with the prescribed standards. However, directions were issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on 2.2.2010. The release issued by the Press Information Bureau states that out of these six cement plants, one plant has been issued directions under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, the five other plants have been served with directions under Section 18 (1) (b) of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. What comes as a surprise is that even India's second largest cement company ACC Ltd's two plants have been issued environment violation directions. The Holcim Group company has several awards to its credit for its achievement in environment awareness and protection including the Golden Peacock Environment Management Special Award and Subh Karan Sarawagi Environment Award to name a few. ACC Ltd's Jamul Cement Works at Durg, Chhattisgarh, and Keymore, Madhya Pradesh have been issued directions under Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. An email query sent to ACC said ,' "We have replied to the authorities on our action plan for the Chhattisgarh plant. Work on upgradation of this plant is progressing and will cost us about As. 10 crore. We have not received any official letter regarding our Kymore plant but are in dialogue with the concerned authorities. The upgrading of pollution control facilities at this plant is on at a cost of about As. 52 crore," the company said. Similarly, even Orient Cement's Devapur plant in Andhra Pradesh has been issued similar directions. Orient Cement is a C K Birla Group company and is also a winner of 'Cleaner Production Award' by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, according to the company website. The other three cement plants that received directions are Cement Corporation of India Ltd, Bokajan, Assam, Bagalkot Cement & Industries Ltd, Bagalkot, Karnataka, and Travancore Cements Ltd, Kottayam, Kerala. Courtesy: The Financial Express, February 3, 2010. USEPA- PROPOSED PORTLAND CEMENT NESHAP: A CURE WORSE THAN THE DISEASE? Andrew T.O'Hare, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Richard P. Bohan, Director, Manufacturing Technology, Portland Cement Association, USA, presents a summary of the Portland Cement NESHAP Proposal and Its potential Ramifications for the US Cement Industry. The year 2009 will be remembered for a great many reasons. For the US cement industry, it may well have been a watershed year: a year that saw the bottom of what most now call The Great Recession coupled with Portland cement consumption declines of 45 per cent when compared to 2007. It was also a year in which the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed significant changes to an air emission rule addressing cement manufacturing operations. The rule is referred to as the Portland Cement National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). The proposed amendments, released on 21 April 2009 and published in the Federal Register on 6 May 2009, included emission limits for mercury, total hydrocarbons (THC), hydro- chloric acid (HCL), and particulate matter (PM) (Table 1). Table-1 Proposed emissions limits Existing sources 431b/million t clinker New sources 151b/million t clinker 7ppmv 2ppmv 6 ppmv 0.1 ppmv 1. Based on a 30 day rolling average. 0.0851blt clinker 0.080 lb/t clinker 2. Measured dry as propane and corrected to 7% oxygen, measured on a 30 rolling day average. 3. Measured dry and corrected to 7% oxygen. 33