CEO of Royal White Cement, Marcel Fadi, Explains the How Cement Industries Can Go Green
Concrete is deemed to be vital in construction as a crucial element in foundations, structures, roads, bridges, highways, embankments, and much more. However, there is something more fundamental than the concrete: cement, an adhesive which forms the primary ingredient of the concrete.
The Mounting Future of Cement Industry
In the wake of the surging landscape of urban development, the production levels of cement continue to rise every year. Currently, the annual production levels of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) are approximately 3.6 billion metric tons. Columbia University’s Earth Institute states, in their recent report, indicate the annual growth rate of cement production to be 2.5%. The latest statistics of the cement manufacturing industry suggest that the annual produce of the sector exceeds 2.55 billion tons. With such an increasing chart, it is estimated that by 2050, the yield of cement will exceed 4.5 million tons.
Nevertheless, no matter how crucial cement is, its manufacturing procedure remains to be a significant source of industrial air pollution. Specifically, the clinker production, the major component of cement, remains to be the primary cause of emission of noxious gases, explicitly carbon dioxide, amplifying the greenhouse gas effect.
The highly energy-intensive process of clinker production also releases the gaseous effluents. Providing the rough estimate: production of 1 ton of cement, contributes to the 0.6 to 1 ton of carbon dioxide. The truth is that not just the clinker manufacturing process alone, each process of cement production leads to loads of CO2, disrupting the ecological system and contributing to the nuisance that global warming brings with it. However, cement is so indispensable in all walks of life; forestalling its production is just impossible. Yet, is there any viable substitute to make the cement industry go green?
Is Going Green A Possibility for Cement Industry?
The Founder of the Houston-based Royal White Cement, Marcel Fadi, reveals that to strive to counteract the hazard from emission, the cement manufacturing process can be made sustainable, lowering down the emissions level drastically. Established in 1999, Royal White Cement manufactures and distributes Portland cement products in national, international, and industrial construction markets.
“For the product of this sustainable production of cement is coined as ‘green cement.’ The green cement is manufactured employing “carbon-negative production procedures. This eco-friendly product that is recognized as the green cement serves to resolve severe environmental concerns and diminishes the carbon footprint of the cement industry,” he says.
Marcel Fadi also shares that global organizations raising awareness about sustainability and global warming have contributed to making the nation realize the worth of green cement. Yet, the need to expand the awareness campaign still remains. “There is an immense need to create better awareness about green cement as manufacturers and customers often deem it to be financially risky to invest in an innovative product or production technology, as an alteration in industrial set-ups results in increased costs,” he says.
However, if the governments serve to bolster green cement production by regulating the construction standards, then this serves to mitigate the risks involves. “If nations really care enough about the raising concerns of greenhouse gas emissions, then they must provide manufactures and investors better incentives, motivating them to go green in their cement manufacturing procedures. The nations can also strive to spot the building made by the green cement, make them certified and give rewards to the builders and manufacturers as a way to advocate going green, which will certainly make a huge transformation within the cement industry,” he says.
Going Green Is Possible with Green Cement
The primary way that green cement serves to mitigate the effects caused by carbon emissions, as it provides a worthwhile alternative to the production of conventional cement. Therefore, the cement industry no longer needs the major raw materials that were used previously and no longer does the discarded industrial wastes include blast furnace slag or fly ash, diminishing industrial waste pollution. “Surprisingly, the manufacturing procedure of green cement can decrease the carbon footprint by 40% by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide significantly, says Fadi.
Marcel Fadi also expresses that green cement not only an environmentally friendly option, but it also is apt for sustaining the strength of the cement. “The ingredient that the Royal White Cement utilizes to create green cement, is calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) that empowers the cement with desired features including reduced porosity and improved mechanical strength, which explains why California Department of Transportation and U.S. Air Force endorses calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement to be utilized for constructing and refurbing the North American concrete highway and runway roads,” says Fadi.
Additionally, green cement also reduces the risk of green taxes, which are levied on traditionally produced cement, hovering OPC prices twice. Henceforth, green cement is genuinely incredible for the sustainable future of the cement industry, which can also offer plenteous other perks, notwithstanding price and quality.
