Cement, Energy and Environment

performance characteris cs of resultant OPC, PPC and PSC. The project was undertaken on accelerated mode and the report to be submi ed to BIS is under prepara on. The main agenda was to promote u liza on of low- grade limestone containing higher MgO with good result. This will certainly result in increase of mine life. · Reduce resources inputs for effec ve mining prac ces The mining industry consumes large amount of water and land in their opera ons. One solu on to becoming more environmentally sustainable is to reduce the input of the mine. By diver ng surface water and pumping groundwater, mines can reduce both the quan ty and quality of water available downstream for aqua c ecosystems and other use. With regard to energy, a mining company can look into alterna ve energy sources such as solar or wind power. By reducing the energy usage, a mine can reduce greenhouse gases and extend the life of fossil fuel reserves. Mining companies will also be able to reduce the cost to produce the product and thus reduce the cost of the commodity itself. The New Mineral policy advocates for minimising the inputs for mining processes. · Improving the efficiency of mining processes This step is very much in discussion globally for closely monitoring the standard mining supply chain, mining industry/companies will be forced to confront ways in which a company can improve its efficiency where its lacking in terms of sustainability and green mining ini a ves, improving the efficiency of this process can help trim down environmental impact. This also allows companies to regulate processes which may be inadequate in terms of environmental friendliness. This needs a proper supervision of the mining and ancillary process that will allow mining companies to change elements/ac vi es that are inefficient or that use too many natural resources. Conduc ng a material flows analysis will effec vely track the physical flows of natural resources through extrac on, produc on, fabrica on, use, recycling and final disposal. This will develop new ways of thinking, new metrics, business process re- engineering and new management/supervisory tools that will help cushion the transi on into more efficient and less environmental toxic pa erns of resource used in modern socie es. This process change will allow supervisors to develop new processes that are more efficient and sustainable than previous ones. Across the world, organiza ons like The World Resources Ins tute (WRI) are currently conduc ng research on most frequently used resources and materials, in order to be er understand how the industry can conserve its non- renewable materials. The WRI has been working towards developing a database, and can now indicate the flow of materials through industrial economies. Material flows analyses, as men oned above, will track the physical flows of natural resources in every step of mining process, accoun ng for both the gains and losses occurring throughout the supply chain. The New Mineral policy men ons that the use of equipment and machinery which will improve the efficiency, produc vity and economics of mining opera ons as well as mineral beneficia on process, safety, health of persons working in mines/beneficia on plant and surrounding area shall be encouraged. · Re-evalua ng Cut-off Grades A Raw mill cut-off grade is the level set that is considered to be the lowest quality of already mined ore which is economically 16