Co-processing: environmental, economic and public health gains
It was in the 1970s, with the oil crisis, that the cement industry (and other sectors) started to treat co-processing as an economically feasible alternative to replace fossil fuels. Enhanced, the process of substitution of non-renewable fossil fuels has consolidated its role as an ally to reduce carbon emissions from the cement industry and to decrease production costs.
In general terms, co-processing transforms solid industrial, urban and agricultural waste (biomass) for use as alternative fuel in the cement kilns, or even for replacing mineral raw materials used in the production. In both cases, the environmental result is highly positive. On one hand, it allows for an environmentally friendly destination of waste; on the other hand, it avoids the use of fossil fuels and the exploitation of mineral resources.
In addition to the obvious environmental gain, there are other important parameters: to avoid the deposit of waste in landfills and the environmental degradation caused, with high impact on public health and the environment. From an economic point of view, a myriad of value chains is created to maintain the flow of waste used for the pre-treatment companies, in an environment that stimulates the circular economy.
InterCement has been committed to being a global reference in the use of co-processing in the cement industry. We closed 2018 with a rate of 16% (including the operations in the six countries we operate). In Brazil, the Company already operated with a rate of 23% The company’s target is to reach 40% in 2027. To have an idea, according to the “Technological Cement Roadmap”, coordinated by the Brazilian National Union of the Cement Industry (SNIC) and the Brazilian Portland Cement Association (ABCP), even in a scenario where the Brazilian cement sector shows one of the lowest indexes of CO2 emission in comparison to other countries, the use of alternative fuels can potentially increase from 15% in 2014 to 55% in 2050, thanks to the many mitigating initiatives that have been implemented by the industry.
The current co-processing percentage indicates that InterCement already ceased to emit more than 436 thousand tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 2018 alone, contributing to a smaller carbon footprint in its production. Also, we closed 2018 with an emission rate of 572 kg of CO2 per ton of cement product (a reduction of 1.5% against 2017), while the global average is about 900 kg!
There are other initiatives for reducing CO2 emissions in our production, but co-processing is the initiative with more consistent percentages; that’s why we will continue investing in the development and enhancement of this technology in our plants.
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