• Energy and Fuel

Energy and Fuel

The high temperature needed for cement manufacturing makes it an energy-intensive process. The average energy input required to make one ton of cement is 4.65 million Btu. According to the Department of Energy, U.S. cement production accounts for 2.9 percent of energy consumption—lower consumption levels than iron and steel mills at 7.9 percent and paper mills at 11.8 percent. From the PCA publication: U.S. and Canadian Labor-Energy Input Survey 2006, the cement industry has improved energy efficiency by 37.5 percent from 1972.

Finding ways to reduce both energy needs and reliance on fossil fuels is a top priority for cement companies. Although coal, petroleum coke, and other fossil fuels have been traditionally burned in cement kilns, many cement companies have turned to energy-rich alternative fuels. Today, many plants meet between 20-70% of their energy requirements with alternative fuels. And many of these alternative fuels are consumer wastes or byproducts from other industries. Recovering their energy value in cement making is a safe and proven form of recycling.

Because of strict product quality demands, the cement produced from kilns using alternative fuels must be equal in quality to cement from kilns using conventional fuels. Our customers demand it. All types of cement must conform to the rigid specifications of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Burning alternative fuels in cement kilns offers several environmental benefits. This type of energy recovery conserves valuable fossil fuels for future generations while safely destroying wastes that would otherwise be deposited in landfills. From the PCA publication: 2006 U.S. and Canadian Portland Cement Industry :Plant Information Summary, 16 plants used waste oil, and 40 plants in 19 states used scrap tires. Solvents, unrecyclable plastics, and other materials are used as well.

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