As an energy-intensive industry, the cement industry accounts for 5% of global carbon dioxide emissions, requiring up to 4.7 million BTU of energy per ton of clinker , equivalent to about 180 kilograms of coal. This is the key reason why it needs to always be alert to its destructive role in the environment.
This is something that the cement industry has been actively working on for the past two decades. There is no doubt that cement is an indispensable and important material for global economic development, and its demand will continue to grow in the future, especially in the construction field, such as bridges, roads and other key infrastructure, it is also the most important input. Therefore, it is more necessary for the cement industry to reshape its production process, make efficient use of its resources and reduce damage to the environment.
In fact, the Indian cement industry has been committed to energy conservation and low carbon, and in this regard, it strives to keep pace with the global cement industry. At present, there are 139 large cement plants and 365 small cement plants in India, most of which have reached the international leading position in environmental protection, which is also mandatory by local emission regulations. At the same time, most cement companies in India have taken the initiative to participate in the "India Low Carbon Technology Roadmap" plan, which is jointly developed by Indian cement companies, the International Energy Agency, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Cement Sustainable Development Initiative to help cement companies be more energy-saving and competitive.
"Recent environmental regulations require Indian cement companies to comply with new emission standards, which not only stipulate particulate matter emission standards, but also include emissions of waste gas, waste water and heavy metals.". The relevant regulatory agencies will monitor the emissions of cement kilns in real time. At present, all major cement enterprises in India have been converted to zero liquid discharge plants. Said KN Rao, Director, Energy and Environment Department, ACC Ltd., one of India's largest cement producers.
In response to India's cement industry's ambitious plan to "reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 50% by 2050", KN Rao also explained how Indian companies will implement it and its significance. He said, In order to achieve this emission reduction plan, the transformation of Indian cement enterprises will be comprehensive, covering the whole manufacturing chain-from the procurement of limestone mines to the clinker production process, from the logistics and transportation of bulk cement to the improvement of energy efficiency and the utilization of renewable energy, all of which are aimed at improving the management efficiency of enterprises to maintain competitiveness. The transformation is not temporary, but will continue to upgrade and improve. KN Rao believes that the significance of this transformation will be a win-win situation for both economic and social benefits of enterprises, because in the cement production process, the cost of energy consumption is the highest, accounting for 40-50% of the total cost. By improving the utilization rate of energy, the production cost of enterprises will also be greatly reduced.
So what exactly are Indian cement companies doing?
Purushothaman Ravichandran, president of Danfoss India, headquartered in Danfoss, Denmark, said, Since the end of the 1990s, the Indian cement industry has been adopting clean technology and has finally basically reversed the waste of energy in traditional cement production. We are proud that in the past two decades, despite the challenging economic environment, Indian cement companies have been among the world's leaders in energy use and innovation.
The main measures taken by Indian cement companies include improving heat and electricity efficiency, increasing the use of alternative fuels, replacing carbon-intensive materials with low-carbon materials, and developing carbon capture and storage equipment for cement kilns. According to the data, the overall electricity consumption of India's cement industry in 2015 decreased by 32% compared with 1995, while the overall heat consumption decreased by 11%. < br/>
Indian cement companies have increased the thermal substitution rate of alternative fuels and raw materials from 0.6% in 2010 to 4% in 2016 through the latest environmental protection technology and the assurance of expert teams.
"I have worked in several countries for LafargeHolcim Cement Group.". In my opinion, the important factor that makes India's cement industry stand out is its continuous improvement and wide sharing of energy-saving and low-carbon technologies. This is something that other industrial sectors in India, as well as the global cement industry, can replicate and benefit from, said Philip Mathew, Chairman of the CII Working Group on World Class Cement Plants and Chief Manufacturing Officer of ACC.
According to industry estimates, the current waste heat recovery potential of cement plants in India is about 800 megawatts. If this heat is fully utilized, it will bring about a profit of 140 million rupees to the industry, while saving 2 million tons of coal and 12-15% of electricity consumption. At present, cement enterprises in India have widely adopted variable frequency drives, the latest production technology and the latest automation control system. "The three Indian ACC plants are now among the best of LafargeHolcim's cement plants in 90 countries around the world," Rao said proudly.
Water conservation is also one of the most effective aspects of Indian cement enterprises. The process water consumption for cement manufacturing has been reduced by more than 90% by converting the wet process technology to the dry process technology. This was achieved by installing reverse air bag chambers and pulse jet bag filters and reducing the natural gas conditioning tower water consumption by 50% using waste heat recovery.
"The cement industry has always been a highly energy-intensive industry, with most companies focusing on production cuts and making significant progress," said CII IGBC Principal Consultant Kiran Ananth. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency's (BEE) first PAT (Perform, Achieve and Trade) program also played an important role. The ongoing 'Pat Plan II' for 2016-2019 will also play an important role.
At the same time, the overall thermal substitution rate of India's cement industry has also increased from 0.6% to 4%. This is mainly due to the use of fly ash and slag produced by power plants as fuel for cement kilns to produce cement. In recent years, a kind of coke waste produced by refinery has become a new type of fuel for cement kiln, and the proportion of use is increasing.
In terms of heat recovery, at present, more than 60% of Indian cement enterprises have 100% of their own power generation capacity. Among them, about 24 cement enterprises have waste heat recovery devices with installed capacity of 307 MW. There is still about 500 megawatts of untapped potential waiting to be further explored.
Of course, more importantly, Indian cement companies will always be committed to improving energy efficiency and low carbon efficiency. The industry will continue to consolidate and maintain the competitiveness of enterprises through mergers and acquisitions, which will also upgrade the environmental protection technology of enterprises.
In particular, the cement industry in India has been monitoring and evaluating the progress of the plan since the establishment of the target of "reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 50% by 2050". As S K Wali, industry veteran and full-time director of JK Lakshmi Cement Limited, commented, "Over the past 40 years, I have witnessed the economic growth and environmental contribution of the Indian cement industry.". India's cement plants not only save energy themselves, they are also the largest consumers of fly ash in the country. More than 70% of cement enterprises have issued their own sustainable development reports.
浙公网安备33010802003254号