Impact of Cement Industry on Environment

This paper discusses the environmental impact of the cement industry, from production to its use. It explores the emissions and pollution caused by cement plants and the challenges faced in achieving sustainability.

Impact of Cement Industry on Environment
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Abstract
Climate change is one of the major environmental challenges in the world. Technological
advancement has brought about cement producing organizations to have the option of delivering
higher volumes as compared with the past. The higher generation levels have been the main
source of pollution. One of the pioneers in the deterioration of the earth by draining assets and
devouring energy or the formation of waste is building and construction industries. Additionally,
a lot of greenhouses emissions and acidified gasses have its source in the construction. Cement is
the most utilized construction materials and its production is significantly expanding in the
world. However, it is an energy-intensive industry that produces numerous emissions, smells,
and noise. The emissions from concrete plants that ought to be managed are dust, carbon dioxide
CO2, nitrogen oxides (NO) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). This paper seeks to elaborate on the
environmental impact of cement starting from production to the place it is used.

Impact of Cement Industry on Environment
Introduction
Cement is a critical construction material that is utilized for infrastructure development
and building. It is also one of the sectors that immensely contribute to the economies of
numerous countries. Cement demand is legitimately connected with financial development and
many developing economies are making significant progress toward cement enhancements
which underlines the gigantic development in the cement production (Devi, Lakshmi, and
Alakanandana 2014, p.72). The cement industry plays a significant role in improving the living
standards throughout the world by creating direct employment and giving numerous financial
advantages to related projects. Regardless of cement ubiquity and gainfulness, it faces numerous
difficulties that result from natural concerns and sustainability issues (Devi, Lakshmi, and
Alakanandana 2014, p. 89).
In the construction industry, cement is the most widely recognized construction material
that is used. Cement is an essential part of concrete utilized for civil engineering and building
purposes. On average, it is estimated that about one ton of cement is produced for each person
every year. Along these lines cement (concrete) is one of the most crucial manufactured
materials in the world. In Europe, the utilization of concrete and cement in extensive civic works
can be traced back to vestige.
In the European Union, there were 268 completed cement and concrete clinker
establishments with a total of 377 kilns in 2008. The cement industries consume a lot of energy
which represent approximately 40 percent of day to day expenses excluding capital expenses.

Because of its increased demand, it is difficult to comprehend the environmental ramifications of
concrete and cement manufacturing (Karstensen, 2016, p.12).
Figure 1: The trend of world cement production
Source (Karstensen, 2016)
Coal was the primary fossil fuel that traditionally used. A wide scope of liquid, solid or
gaseous non-renewable energy sources that were also utilized include oil coke, lignite, petroleum
gas and oil (light, medium or heavy fuel oil). Notwithstanding these conventional non-renewable
energy sources, the cement industry has been utilizing huge amounts of waste fuel or biomass
powers for over 15 years. This has made the cement industries to gain a noteworthy ground in
reducing the emissions of CO2 by upgrading procedure and productivity. However, further
enhancements have been constrained on the grounds that CO2 production is inherent to
calcinating limestone procedure. It is worth noting that cement industries significantly contribute
to environmental imbalance; specifically, air quality. Nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and
grey residue are the main components emitted by cement (Josa et al. 2017, p.782).
Literature Review
The Industrial plant smokestacks produced from cement and construction organizations
are probably the greatest cause of poor air quality, particularly in urban buildings. At the
moment, the Portland cement industry is under close examination due to extensive volumes of

CO2 produced. Notably, this industrial sector represents 5 to 7 percent of the absolute CO2
anthropogenic emissions (Kawai et al.2015, p.441). Consequently, various examinations have
been done to assess CO2 emissions and energy utilization (Ortiz, Castells and Sonnemann 2015,
p.31). Technological progression has brought about concrete producing organizations to have the
option of creating higher volumes contrasted with the past. Although, higher generation levels
have additionally been to a great extent marked as the main source of contamination. The
principal air pollution sources in cement production incorporate quarrying exercises, dumps,
transport lines, tips, pounding factories, and oven emissions. In 2007, the concrete business alone
was accounted for to delivered 5 percent of all-out ozone-harming substances in the (Stajanča
and Eštoková 2012, p.43)
Cement production mainly involves utilization of substantial amounts of raw materials,
heat as well as energy. Besides, concrete production releases a lot of solid waste materials and
gaseous emissions. The cement manufacturing process is extremely dynamic and includes an
extensive number of materials (with fluctuating material properties), pyro-processing methods
such as wet and dry oven, preheating and distribution as well as fuel sources such as coal, oil,
gaseous petrol, tires, risky squanders and oil coke. The Life Cycle Appraisal is used to examine
the effectiveness of cement processes or products on the environment. On this assessment, each
phase of the processor product's life cycle should be put into consideration. With regard to
products, each phase of cement production starting from raw materials generation, their valuable
lives and their utilization, as well as support, should be incorporated. It is difficult to conduct a
grave evaluation for cement production because it has a large number of end users and every
client dynamic life-cycle. In this manner, inventory investigations and complete LCAs can be
very confounded.

Production of Cement
Cement is produced from different raw materials such as chalk, mud, shale, limestone,
and sand. These different types of raw materials are quarried, smashed, crushed, and mixed to
the appropriate chemical composition (Mehraj et al. 2013, p. 1049). During mining, crushing,
and homogenization of raw materials, the procedure of calcination is trailed by consuming the
subsequent calcium oxide with silica, alumina and ferrous oxide at high temperatures to shape
clinker. The clinker is then crushed or processed with different components such as gypsum,
slag to create concrete. (Ventura et al.2014, p.251).
Stages of cement production
1. Acquisition of raw materials
Most raw materials utilized in the production of raw materials are extracted from the earth
through mining and quarrying and then divided into accompanying gatherings such as lime,
alumina, silica, and iron (Al Smadi, Al-Zboon and Shatnawi 2016, p.272). Limestone (calcium
carbonate – CaCO3) is the prevalent raw material and most cement production industries are built
close to a limestone quarry or get this material from a source by means of modest transportation.
The cement production industries must limit transportation cost because almost 33 percent of the
limestone is changed over to carbon dioxide (CO2) amid the pyro-handling and is in this way
lost. The quarrying exercises involve drilling, uncovering, dealing with, stacking, impacting,
pulling, crushing, screening, amassing, and putting away.
2. Raw material preparation

The process of preparing raw materials involves extracting crude materials to obtain the right
compound arrangement and further crush them to come up with the best possible particle size
that guarantees ideal eco-friendliness in cement furnace and final concrete product quality (Chen
et al. 2010, p. 476). There are three significant kinds of procedures that are utilized in the
planning of concrete. One of the procedures is a dry procedure. In the dry procedure, crude
materials are dried using sway dryers, air separators or drum dryers before granulating, or in the
crushing procedure. Another procedure utilized in cement production is a wet procedure. In the
wet procedure, water is included amid granulating. The semi-dry procedure is another procedure
that is utilized in the manufacturing of concrete. In the semi-dry procedure, materials are shaped
into particles with the expansion of water in a pelletizing gadget.
3. Clinker burning-Pyro Processing
In this stage, raw materials are burnt to form cement clinkers. Cement clinkers are dim, hard
circular knobs with breadths that range between 0.32cm and 5.0cm made from chemical
sintering of crude materials. The raw mixture is provided to the system as slurry, powder, or as
wet pellets.
Steps in the Pyro-Processing
The pyro-handling process involves three stages such as drying or preheating, calcination (a
heating process where calcium oxide is shaped), and consuming (sintering). Pyro-processing
occurs in the consuming/furnace office. The crude mixture is provided to the system as a slurry
(wet process), a powder (dry process), or as pellets (semidry process). Almost all systems utilize
a rotational oven which contains the consuming stage and all or part of the calcining stage. All
pyro-preparing tasks happen in the revolving furnace whereas drying of the calcination is carried
outside the oven on rotating meshes provided with hot oven gases.

4. Grinding of cement
Cement grinding stage is also referred to as the end process of cement manufacture. In this
process, the clinker is crushed into different materials (that give extraordinary attributes to the
completed item) into a fine powder. Gypsum and regular anhydrite are mixed to control the
cement setting time.
5. Cement Packaging and Dispatch
The finished product is packaged utilizing pail lifts and shifted to warehouses for storage. The
vast majority of cement is distributed to clients in mass through trucks and rail in sacks regularly
packed in 50kg bags. Cement is generally utilized in concrete and mortar in the building and
construction industry.
Figure 2: The flow diagram of cement manufacture
Source (Ventura et al.2014)
Emissions from cement industry
Concrete manufacturing is a high volume process and correspondingly requires
satisfactory amounts of assets, that is, crude materials, electrical power, and thermal fuels. The

principal natural (air quality) effects of the manufacturing of cement, in general, are identified
with the classes as follows:
Gases and Volatile Organic Compounds:
Gaseous atmospheric emanations of CO2, NO2, SO2, Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs) and others carbon dioxide are discharged amid the creation of clinker, a part of cement,
where calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is warmed in a rotating oven to actuate a progression of
complex concoction responses. In particular, CO2 is discharged as a side-effect amid calcination,
which happens in the upper, cooler end of the oven, or a pre calciner, at temperatures of 600 to
900°C, and results in the change of carbonates to oxides. Sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides are
created from the oven and drying forms. Sulfur dioxide is created from the sulfur mixes in the
metals and the combusted fuel and differs in sum generated from plant to plant.
The effectiveness of particulate control gadgets is uncertain with regards to the
consequence of factors, for example, feed sulfur content, temperature, dampness, and feed
concoction arrangement, notwithstanding soluble base and sulfur substance of the crude
materials and fuel. The ignition of fuel in rotating concrete furnaces creates nitrogen oxides from
the nitrogen in the fuel and approaching burning air (Worrell, Martin and Price 2011, p. 1201).
The sum discharged relies upon a few variables including fuel type, nitrogen substance, and
ignition temperature. Both sulfur dioxide and a portion of the nitrogen oxide respond with the
basic bond and are expelled from the gas stream. Unpredictable natural carbon mixes (VOCs) are
a class of synthetic substances that are produced straightforwardly to the air because of vanishing
or another sort of volatilization. Sources incorporate put away gas, put away solvents, and other
modern synthetic concoctions, and certain mechanical procedures. Deficient ignition of energies

of numerous kinds is additionally a significant wellspring of VOC release to the encompassing
air (Worrell, Martin and Price 2011, p. 1196).
Bad odor
The foul smell is once in a while an immediate consequence of the gases radiated amid
cement manufacturing. Besides, since the concrete producer has perilous effects to plants and
creatures, the assembling procedure at that point, legitimately and by implication, offers to
ascend to hostile scents like the dead plants and creatures rot.
Noise emissions
Noise emissions happen all through the entire cement manufacturing process from
acquisition and preparing of crude materials, from the clinker consuming and cement generation
process, from the dispatch and transporting of the last items (Stajan and Estokova., 2012, p.77).
The substantial apparatus and extensive fans utilized in different parts of the cement fabricating
process crushing and vibration emissions, especially from: chutes and containers and any task
that smashing, processing and screening of crude material, powers, clinker and concrete; exhaust
fans; blowers; pipe vibration.
Dust emissions
Dust discharges begin from the raw factories, the furnace framework, the clinker cooler,
and the concrete plants. A general component of these procedure steps is that hot exhaust gas or
fumes air is going through pummeled material bringing about a personally scattered blend of gas
and particulates. The idea of the particulates produced is connected to the source material itself,
that is, crude materials (mostly calcined), clinker or cement.

Discussions
Climate change impacts can happen on atmospheric temperatures, precipitation levels,
water resources, earthly and oceanic territories threatened and endangered species, farming
profitability, and numerous other regular and man-made resources. The cement industry is
energy concentrated and a huge cause of environmental change. Most environmental safety and
health issues associated with cement production are emissions to air and energy use. The
manufacture of cement requires a significant measure of fossil resources such as crude material
and petroleum products. It is estimated that approximately 5 to 6 percent of ozone-depleting
substances are created by human activities which begin with cement production (Blok et al.
2011, p.19). The use of energy and raw materials result in air emissions that incorporate gases
and specks of dust. Most gases that come from cement kilns contain nitrogen oxides, water,
chlorides, oxygen, sulfur dioxide, fluorides, carbon dioxide, little amounts of specks of dust,
carbon monoxide, and numerous metals (Ian and David 2002, p.12). Harmful environmental
mixes and metals are emitted when industrial waste is combusted in the cement kilns. The
clinker cooler smashes and processors are the source that release dusts in the cement industry.
(Ibrahim et al. 2015, p.42).
These emanations are deteriorating the quality of air as well as influencing human health.
Additionally, these emissions have local and worldwide environmental impact that brings about
ozone exhaustion, biodiversity loss, atmospheric temperature increase, corrosive downpour, and
reduced yield efficiency (Hendriks et al. 2014, p. 940). Logical proof shows that air pollution
from burning fossil fuel causes a range of health impacts that range from severe to death. The
results from some studies suggest that these emissions are significantly influencing human safety
in numerous ways such as irritating eyes, respiratory infections such as chest inconvenience,

tuberculosis, asthma conditions, incessant bronchitis, cardiovascular diseases and sudden death
(Humphreys 2012, p.67).
Nitrogen dioxide is responsible for a broad range of health as well as environmental
effects. The groups of nitrogen oxides include nitrogen dioxide, nitrous oxide, nitrates, and nitric
oxide. Like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide responds with water and other substances to form
different acidic mixes. At the point when these acidic aggravate on the surface of the earth, they
weaken water conditions of various water bodies and ferment streams and lakes. The low pH
significantly affects fish and other amphibian species to survive, develop, and recreate. Likewise,
acid rain affects biological systems by straightforwardly harming plant tissues (Chen et al. 2016,
479).
Nitrous oxide is an ozone-depleting substance when it combines with other greenhouse
gases. This eventually results in the increased world temperature which prompts global warming
and environmental change (Karstensen 2017, p.99). Nitrogen dioxide influences body abilities
such as trouble in breathing, perpetual lung infections (ceaseless irritation and irreversible
auxiliary changes in the lungs with the rehashed presentation) can prompt untimely maturing of
the lungs and other respiratory diseases. Dust emissions have been connected to respiratory
issues, for example, tuberculosis.
Conclusions
It is a notable demonstration that air contamination has become unsafe on the earth of
human health. Because of the framework, the formative activities cement industry is prospering
and bringing about ecological degradation and in the debasement of human health around the
world. The gaseous and particulate discharges that come from cement industries have been
responsible for affecting air quality and consequently making extensive polluting the

environment particularly air pollution. In most cement producing industries, growing concern on
producing low-energy cement, waste utilization in cement production and low emission of CO2
has started to be considered. The examination of cement impact on the earth is a significant
procedure in reducing its detrimental effects. The effects identified with global warming are
attributed to carbon dioxide, acidification is attributed to sulfur dioxide which represent 34
percent, ammonia which represent 30 percent, Nitrite which represent17 percent and nitrate
which represent 6 percent and impacts for marine ecosystems are basically identified with the
discharge of fluorine as well as its inorganic mixes which represent 54 percent, barite, and
Barium which represent 34 percent and numerous metals.
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