Energy & Environment
Committed to Responsible Innovation
The American Cement Association and its members support market‐based policies and initiatives that will enable the industry’s continued improvements of its environmental stewardship. To reach our goal, we need policymakers and agency leadership to work collaboratively with our industry
Essential Material
Concrete is the world’s most utilized material after water. The U.S. uses about 400 million cubic yards of concrete each year to build highways, bridges, runways, water and sewage infrastructure, schools, high-rise buildings, dams, homes, floors, sidewalks, driveways, and more.
Understanding the cement production process is essential for appreciating this material’s role in the economy and the extensive environmental regulations that the industry must meet.
Manufacturing Cement
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Cement manufacturing depends on carefully balanced chemistry and physics. Cement plants run continuously—typically 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They use temperatures as high as 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit to convert limestone and other minerals into the active ingredient in cement — clinker. Generating and maintaining kilns at the high temperatures required involves the combustion of significant quantities of fuel. The chemical process that creates clinker is also emissions-intensive, typically generating approximately 50 to 60 percent of the CO2 associated with cement manufacturing.
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Cement plants are extensive systems with high capital investments, often costing several hundred million dollars to build. Environmental controls and permitting add to the complexity, making any changes to the manufacturing process both challenging and costly.
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Cement and concrete offer significant environmental benefits over the project’s life cycle. Infrastructure constructed with concrete is more energy-efficient, and concrete’s durability reduces the need for frequent repairs and replacements. Concrete also serves as a carbon sink, and through a natural process called carbonation, it permanently sequesters CO2.
Solution: Permit Modernization
Regulatory barriers prevent cement manufacturers from investing in technology and process improvements to increase energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions. Modernizing the permitting process can enable more efficient and environmentally friendly operations.
Solution: Move to Alternative Fuels
How This Works
The cement industry has a long history of safe and efficient use of alternative fuels, ranging from used tires and biomass to a wide variety of secondary and waste materials, but barriers to using alternative fuels continue to constrain the industry.
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Cement kilns operate at high temperatures and long residence times, making them efficient at combusting various alternative fuels with low emissions levels. The robust nature of cement kilns allows for the safe and effective use of diverse fuel types, which helps reduce reliance on traditional fossil fuels and supports waste management by diverting materials that would otherwise be disposed of in landfills.
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Regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Clean Air Act restrict using non-hazardous secondary materials as fuels. Reducing these barriers could increase the industry’s use of alternative fuels.
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Reuse is a proven solution. The cement industry can reuse millions of tons of alternative fuels including plastics, biomass, and other landfilled materials as fuel. This reduces materials in landfills and lowers greenhouse gas emissions, supporting sustainability goals.