[Technology and the environment] Replacing clinker to produce added cements, one of the mitigation measures promoted by NAMA and being implemented by the cement industry

This should reduce emissions by introducing competitive mitigation measures such as co-processing, energy efficiency and reducing clinker content in cement.

Cement production is a major source of GHG emissions in Peru. The industry is estimated to have emitted around 6.1 million tons of CO2e in 2010, or approximately 8 percent of national emissions, excluding emissions from the forest sector. However, it can also be an important ally in efforts to reduce emissions of these gases. And as such, it has been actively participating in NAMA activities with a medium- and long-term vision for incorporating sustainable practices into its activities.

The International Workshop of Added Cements was held on September 24th, within the scope of the Inter-institutional Cooperation Framework Agreement between MINAM and PRODUCE, through which the cement industry NAMA is being implemented through joint work between the Climate Change and Desertification Department of MINAM and the Environmental Affairs of Industry Department of PRODUCE. This initiative was supported by the Swiss Cooperation (SDC), through the Low Carbon Cement Project (LCC) and the Association of Cement Producers (ASOCEM).

Martin Jaggi, Director of Swiss Cooperation, gave the opening speech, highlighting the technological, economic and climate benefits of the use of added cements. He reaffirmed Switzerland’s support, through the LCC Project, for the production of an ecological, viable and reliable cement, reducing the amount of clinker required for its production and the GHG emissions this causes.

Fernando Acosta, representing María Ysabel Valle, Director of the Ministry of Production’s Industry Environmental Affairs, mentioned that this NAMA is geared to activities that help reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in the cement industry, helping to comply with the NDCs assumed by the Peruvian government. “Although cement companies have been producing this type of cement for some years, we still have to work together to promote its benefits and so encourage its use,” he emphasized.

Normalization of the use of added cements

The workshop began with a presentation by Juan Ávalo, representative of INACAL and ASOCEM, who spoke about Peru’s technical standards on added cements, focusing on the normalization of the use of added cements and the progress made with the Ministry of Finance in this regard, and the need to promote the use of environmentally friendly cements further.

Juan Avalo, ASOCEM consultant
Panel discussion 1

This was followed by a lecture on “Physicochemical behaviour of added cements”, given by Dr. Fernando Martirena Hernández, specialist in construction materials, director of the Cuban Centre for Research and Development of Materials at the Central University of Las Villas (Cuba), and coordinator of the Low Carbon Cement project promoted by the Swiss Cooperation (SDC). His presentation and panel discussion can be seen in the following videos:

Fernando Martirena
Panel discussion 2

The workshop was an appropriate occasion for the presentation of the LC3, as an alternative to reduce CO2 emissions in the cement industry. Dr. Marticorena presented this new type of cement as an alternative for environmental sustainability, since it is produced with calcined clay. “This is an ecological cement that contains less clinker and consumes less fuel in its production, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 30 per cent. No major alterations are required in the cement plants to produce it,” he explained.

The following presentations were made at the workshop:

  • J. Avalo – NTP cementos adicionados Perú (PDF)
  • F. Marticorena – Comportamiento fisicoquímico del cemento (PDF)
  • G. Mansilla – Ind. de cemento en el Perú (PDF)
  • R. Pareja – Hoja de Ruta FICEM (PDF)
  • F. Martirena – Desarrollo y Fabricación Cementos Mezclados (PDF)

The Cement Industry NAMA

The purpose of the NAMA is to help implement activities for reducing Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in the cement industry, and to help the Peruvian government fulfill the commitments it made at the Paris Agreement to address climate change. The mitigation measures it includes are as follows:

  • Use of waste-derived fuels as a substitute for fossil fuels in clinker production kilns (co-processing)
  • Replacement of clinker to reduce the clinker/cement ratio by producing added cements (Clinker Factor)
  • Improving energy efficiency in cement production to cut electricity consumption
  • Developing a monitoring, reporting and verification system

This measure generally consists of the partial replacement of clinker by substitute materials (such as natural pozzolans, rice husk ashes, flying ashes from thermoelectric plants or iron and steel slag), manufacturing cements called “added”. Reducing the amount of clinker produced also reduces GHG emissions and increases the productivity and competitiveness of the national cement industry.

This mitigation measure is especially relevant, since by 2030 it would represent about 76 per cent of the cumulative reduction of GHG emissions generated by the cement industry in Peru. Added cements also have comparative advantages over traditional cements. These include their long-term strength and greater durability, and in some cases, they could be better adapted to the conditions of their environment.

2019 09 24 LCC TALLER DE CEMENTOS ADICIONADOS
Flickr image gallery

Links of interest:
LCC Project, project file, Swiss Embassy in Peru, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Web Lc3

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