Climate Change
Using energy efficiently
The cement
industry uses energy efficiently as it represents around 35 per
cent of its production costs. The industry is working hard to
reduce the carbon dioxide it generates through its manufacturing
process. UK cement manufacturers have signed a Climate Change Levy
Agreement with government to deliver an overall energy efficiency
improvement across their sector of 26.8 per cent by 2010 against a
base year of 1990. The industry has already achieved a 27.5 per
cent improvement in
energy efficiency. See
BCA comments on the DTI's energy review, 'Our Energy
Challenge - Securing clean, affordable energy for the
long-term.'
European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS)
The UK cement industry supports the policy of market mechanisms
rather than direct taxation to help improve energy efficiency and
reduce carbon emissions, but is concerned about the way allocations
have been approached for the EU ETS, which came into force in
January 2005.
Effective investment
Achievement of the 26.6 per cent energy efficiency target
depends on the industry's committed investment in new plant and
increased use of alternative fuels. Three new kilns at Rugby (CEMEX
UK Cement), Padeswood (Castle Cement) and Tunstead (Tarmac Buxton
Lime and Cement) have replaced older, less efficient processes.
Use of alternative fuels
The cement industry recovers wastes for alternative fuels and
raw materials as long as their use has no overall adverse impact on
public health and the industry's environmental performance or
product quality. Around a million tonnes of waste was recovered in
2005 as replacement for conventional raw materials and fossil
fuels.
Cement in concrete
As temperatures increase there will be a growing need to control
internal building temperatures. Concrete with its high thermal mass
provides a sustainable solution. Exposed concrete floor slabs
absorb internal heat gains, helping to prevent overheating. Night
cooling purges the accumulated heat from the slab, preparing it for
the next day and thereby reducing the need for air
conditioning.
Controlling carbon dioxide
Despite the very large tonnages of limestone the UK cement
industry burns, it contributes less than two per cent of the
country's total carbon dioxide production. Over the last eight
years it has cut carbon dioxide emissions by 18.5 per cent - over
two million tonnes. Its use of alternative energy sources not only
replaces fossil fuels but also cuts the overall total amount of
carbon dioxide that would have been produced if both the fossil
fuels and the processed waste alternatives had been burned.
Carbon capture and storage
See MPA
Cement question and answer document on cabon capture and
storage in the cement industry.
Case study
Since being given Environment Agency
permission to burn scrap tyres as an alternative fuel at its Ketton
works in Rutland, Castle Cement has burned 9,000 tonnes of them
-about 1,220,000 individual tyres. This has replaced a slightly
larger tonnage of coal due to the higher energy content of tyres.
The exceptionally high temperatures(around 1,450°C) at which cement
kilns operate make them a safe and efficient means of disposal. The
rubber and cotton elements of the tyres are completely consumed
without any of the black smoke associated with burning a tyre on a
bonfire.