• Energy and Fuel

Land Stewardship

Extracting any raw material takes a toll on the environment. The cement industry is minimizing the disruption even further with new technologies and a concerted effort to work closely with the communities in which quarries reside.

Limestone usually comes from a quarry at or near the plant while other materials such as clay, shale, iron ore, and sand are usually obtained from other nearby sources. Because these raw materials are among the most common on Earth, cement producers can mitigate environmental impact through careful site selection and operating procedures. Usually these quarries require limited overburden removal and are chemically benign—that is no acid mine drainage.

At the end of their useful life, cement quarries can be reclaimed as parks, recreational areas, or other developments. Many cement companies have developed closure plans for quarries which include careful soil and water contouring to optimize the environmental benefits of the reclaimed areas.

Byproducts generated during cement making are either recycled into the process or used in other beneficial applications. Cement kiln dust (CKD) is the material removed from the kiln exhaust gases by pollution-control devices. Through improvements in the manufacturing process, the industry has greatly reduced the amount of CKD landfilled. Recycling CKD back into the process offsets the use of limestone and other raw virgin materials, conserves energy, and makes good business sense. CKD that cannot be recycled back into the process is either responsibly managed in a monofill on site or sold for a variety of beneficial uses. For those cement plants who use CKD monofills, proper management and closure of them is an integral part of their operations.

› Next