The hidden polluting daemon – Cement
Cement is one of the most used construction material in the world and it is everywhere. It’s present in our buildings, homes, schools, roads, bridges and even in the ancient structures.
Cement is used to bind bricks & concrete, the most-used construction material on Earth and has been a building block of civilization for over 2000 years. Other than that it is a significant source of Greenhouse gasses especially CO2.
The problem with Cement is that we need it for almost all kind of constructions and infrastructure development, even when it is the second most polluting sector in the world and very damaging for the environment as we do not have a feasible alternative to same.
The primary ingredient of Cement is calcium silicates that react with water to produce the durable concrete. More than 60% of CO2 & Greenhouse gas emissions are generated from cement production which comes from the decomposition of limestone, the source of calcium in cement.
There are many cement producing companies which have started relying on alternative materials but in most cases, those are themselves associated with high-emitting sectors, such as fly ash from coal generation and slag from coal. However, relying on alternatives which themselves are bi-products of Greenhouse emitting gases cannot be a long-term solution.
Currently, there are no major steps which the Cement organizations can take to reduce pollution but there are some small fixings which these companies can focus on significantly bring out a change like using more of waste fuel instead of fossil fuel when preparing solutions, using lower emission materials – manufacturers should look at increasing the use of natural alternative materials such as supplement the mix with calcinated clays, pozzolanas and other recycled materials.
Another way to reduce CO2 emissions in cement manufacturing is to increase the energy efficiency of the cement plants themselves. Indian companies are leading the way here with their newer, and more efficient plants. Investing in new technologies such as Carbon Capture and storage (CCS) can be a game changer. This technology instead of releasing carbon into atmosphere capture and store carbon for further usage, but such technologies need to be more encouraged and made cheaper to have a real impact.
The key to facilitating and driving Cement manufacturers towards adopting sustainable solutions is Environmental regulations being enforced by Governments, regulators, and people as well. If we all come together, understand what harm these industries are doing to our environment, we can probably be able to put pressure on Cement companies to adopt sustainable practices towards the greener environment.
