Environmentalists presented the results of their work in the collection of materials of the All-Russian scientific and practical conference with international participation “Chemistry. Ecology. Urban Studies” (2022) and at the Fifth International Scientific Conference “From Waste Management to Resource Management” (Perm, 2021). The research was carried out as a part of the priority technological project “Distributed and Climate Neutral Energy Technologies” of the Perm World-class Scientific and Educational Centre “Rational Subsurface Use”.
“Cement production is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions. This is a complex and multistep process that directly impacts the environment. In particular, during the loading, grinding and drying of the material, a lot of industrial dust is generated, and during the roasting of the raw material mixture, gas-dust emissions with large amounts of carbon dioxide are emitted. According to 2019 data, cement plants produce about 8% of the world's CO2 emissions,” one of the developers, Ksenia Husainova, a bachelor's degree graduate of the Environmental Protection Department at PNRPU, said.
In Russia, the trend of decarbonization of industrial and technological processes is only gaining momentum, so environmentalists consider the topic of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in various industries to be relevant. The methodology for quantitative determination of greenhouse gas emissions by organisations engaged in economic and other activities in the Russian Federation (Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation No. 300 of June 30, 2015) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories are used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions. According to these methods, scientists of Perm Polytechnic University compared the amount of carbon dioxide in the emissions of two cement plants, OOO Gornozavodskcement and OAO Sukholozhskcement.
“To reduce emissions, it is necessary to switch to dry or combined production methods, as well as to use alternative fuels for roasting raw materials. In addition, industrial waste can be used as a "replacement" for the clay or carbonate part of the raw material. For example, waste with a high content of aluminium oxide is a high-quality man-made mineral raw material that has material potential for recycling. They increase the strength, heat and frost resistance of cement, reducing the carbon footprint of production. Equipment for capturing greenhouse gases and dust in the production process will also reduce emissions,” the project manager, Galina Batrakova, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of Environmental Protection Department of PNRPU, explained.
Scientists calculated carbon dioxide emissions through a scenario modelling method using the OpenLCA software product and the Environmental Footprints database. They evaluated the carbon footprint of the cement industry, its impact on climate change and on ecological systems, as well as its harm to human health. According to scientists, the use of the mineral supplements in the wet process of cement manufacturing will decrease the consumption of minerals and fuel, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30% by reducing the carbonate in the raw material by 22% and by reducing the consumption of carbonaceous fuel by more than 50%.