Cemex meets CO2 goals ahead of schedule
Cemex has cut CO2 emissions per ton of cement produced by 20.7 per cent relative to its 1990 baseline and is on track to meet its 25 per cent reduction target by 2015, according to the company s 2009 Sustainable Development Report.
Climate change initiatives implemented by Cemex have resulted in the prevention of 1.5Mt of CO2 emissions annually, which is equivalent to emissions from about 290,000 passenger vehicles in one year.
Cemex also has increased the use of alternative fuels from 10.3 per cent in 2008 to 16.4 per cent of its cement plants total energy consumption in 2009, exceeding its 15 per cent target for 2015. This saved the equivalent of 1Mt of coal and avoided 1.2Mt of CO2 emissions.
The cement maker has more than tripled its use of alternative fuels since 2005 and confirms its targeted substitution rate of 23 percent by 2020.
In 2009, Cemex also achieved a 12.2 per cent raw material substitution rate in its clinker production an important component of cement production with byproducts from steel and coal power generating plants, reducing the use of conventional raw materials processed by its kilns. The company exceeded its 12 percent target by 2015 ahead of time, and confirms its target of a 15 per cent substitution rate by 2020.
In the area of renewable energy, Cemex completed the EURUS wind farm project, which supplies 25 per cent of the company s power requirements in Mexico.
The company s Center for Technology and Innovation in Switzerland is developing more energy-efficient building materials for use in sustainable construction.
Another project, funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, will test the commercial application of CO2 capture using solid sorbent technologies and geological storage at one of Cemex s cement plants.
In 2009, Cemex designed the first phase of a global water assessment project to establish a baseline of its water use and impacts. The project will help the company develop management standards and operating guidelines for water efficiency. Published under Cement News
