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The LCA of portland cement production in China

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Abstract

Purpose

Cement production is associated with a considerable environmental load, which needs to be fully understood before effective measures can be taken. The existing literature did not give detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) study of China and had limited potential for investigating how best available techniques (BATs) would provide a maximum benefit when they are applied in China. Japan was selected as a good example to achieve better environmental performance of cement production. We identified potentials for reducing emissions and saving energy and natural resources in Chinese cement industry through the comparative analysis.

Methods

This paper follows the principal of Life Cycle Assessment and International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD). The functional units are “1 t of portland cement” and with 42.5 MPa of strength grade. The input (limestone, sandstone, ferrous tailings, coal, and electricity) and output (CO2 from limestone decomposition and coal combustion, NOx, PM, and SO2) of cement manufacturing were calculated by use of on-site measurements, calculation by estimated coefficients, and derivation by mass and heat balance principle. The direct (cement manufacturing) and indirect (electricity production) LCI are added to be total LCI results (cement production). The impact categories of global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), photochemical oxidant formation potential (POCP), and human toxicity potential (HTP) are used to calculate environmental impact.

Results and discussion

Only in GWP of cement manufacturing China has advantage. Japanese cement industry shows remarkable superiorities in the environmental impacts of AP, POCP, HTP, and EP due to advanced technologies. SO2 emissions make the corresponding AP and HTP. PM emissions result in part of HTP. The NOx emissions are the major contributors of POCP, AP, EP, and HTP in China. China emits fewer CO2 emissions (2.09 %) in cement manufacturing than Japan but finally makes higher total GWP than Japan due to more GWP of electricity generation in power stations. The waste heat recovery technology can save electricity but bring more coal use and CO2 emissions. The alternative fuel and raw materials usage and denitration and de-dust technologies can relieve the environmental load. Using the functional unit with the strength grade, the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results are affected.

Conclusions

LCA study allows a clear understanding from the view of total environmental impact rather than by the gross domestic product (GDP) unit from an economic development perspective. In an LCA study, the power generation should be considered in the life cycle of cement production.

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Abbreviations

AFRs:

Alternative fuels and raw materials

AP:

Acidification potential

BATs:

Best available techniques

CCA:

China cement association

cl:

Clinker

CNMLCA:

China Centre of National Material Life Cycle Assessment

DCS:

Distributed control system

ELCD:

European Reference Life Cycle Database

EP:

Eutrophication potential

EPD:

Environmental product declaration

ESP:

Electrostatic precipitator

GDP:

Gross domestic product

GWP:

Global warming potential

HTP:

Human toxicity potential

JCA:

Japanese Cement Association

LCI:

Life cycle inventory

LCIA:

Life cycle impact assessment

LNB:

Low-NOx burner

MSC:

Multistage combustion

NSP:

New suspension preheater

POCP:

Photochemical oxidant formation potential

SCR:

Selective catalytic reduction

SNCR:

Selective noncatalytic reduction

XRD:

X-ray diffraction analysis

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Acknowledgments

This work is financially supported by the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2011BAE29B00). China National “863” Program (No. 2013AA031602), Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No. 2141001). Thanks to JCA (Japanese Cement Association) for providing data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, China Centre of National Material Life Cycle Assessment (CNMLCA), Beijing University of Technology (BJUT), Beijing, 100124, China

    Chen Li, Suping Cui, Zuoren Nie, Xianzheng Gong & Zhihong Wang

  2. Department of Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University, Yokohama Campus, Yokohama, 224-8551, Japan

    Norihiro Itsubo

  3. China Cement Association, Beijing, China

    Chen Li

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  1. Chen Li
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  2. Suping Cui
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  3. Zuoren Nie
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  4. Xianzheng Gong
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  5. Zhihong Wang
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Correspondence to Chen Li or Suping Cui.

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Li, C., Cui, S., Nie, Z. et al. The LCA of portland cement production in China. Int J Life Cycle Assess 20, 117–127 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-014-0804-4

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