Circular cement: processing waste to create cement in a circular economy
Did you know that the cement industry is helping to make the circular economy a reality?
Every year, 2.5 billion tonnes of waste is produced in Europe. To tackle waste production, waste needs to be diverted from incineration and landfill to reduce environmental pollution and create a more sustainable and circular economy.
The cement industry is able to use waste from municipalities or companies by co-processing:
- by using the high amounts of energy from waste as a fuel to heat the kiln
- by replacing primary mineral materials in cement with fractional mineral traces from waste
The very high temperatures reached in a cement kiln ensure the process is residue-free and the end product contains no hazardous substances.
By using waste as a fuel source, cement industry can divert waste from landfilling and reduce its use of carbon fuel. Mineral traces can also be reincorporated in the cement.
The processing high temperature ensures that no unwanted residue is left in the finished product.