UK cement industry review 2009/2010--Part 2

摘要

Following on from the first part of his review of the UK cement industry in 2009/2010 in the June 2010 issue of Global Cement Magazine, the second part of Edwin Trout's review covers the UK cement industry in 2009-2010 from the perspective of alternative fuels, sustainability, health and safety and CO_2 emissions. Much of the capital investment in the UK cement industry in 2009-2010 was directed towards adapting plants to new types of fuel and their particular handling and combustion requirements, in an effort to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, cut costs and reduce emissions. Indeed specific energy efficiency goals for the UK cement industry were set out in the Climate Change Agreement for 2008. In July 2009 the Mineral Products Association (MPA) was pleased to announce that these goals had been met. Improvements in efficiency have been achieved by a combination of plant upgrades and greater reliance on waste-derived fuels. Quinn Cement, for instance, is converting its production line to solid recovered fuel as an alternative to coal. Some companies, notably Hanson and Tarmac, participated in the Carbon Trust's Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator Scheme during this period. Others, Lafarge and Cemex, have been keen to promote their successes too.