Environmental Impact Analysis in The Cement Industry With Life Cycle Assessment Method 2024
Environmental Impact Analysis in The Cement Industry With Life Cycle Assessment Method 2024
Environmental Impact Analysis in The Cement Industry With Life Cycle Assessment Method 2024
ABSTRACT
PT A is a cement industry that produces slag, portland cement, and composite portland cement. This research aims
to examine the environmental impacts of the cement industry by applying the life cycle assessment method. The
methods used in this research are divided into goal and scope, life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment,
and interpretation. This research uses SimaPro software for data processing. In carrying out impact assessments
using life cycle assessment, several methods are used such as CML IA Baseline V3.05, Impact 2002+, EPD 2018,
and cumulative energy demand. The results show that there are two types of impacts. Primary impacts include
global warming, eutrophication, acidification, and stratospheric thinning. Meanwhile, secondary impacts are pho-
tochemical oxidation, abiotic depletion of fossils and non-fossils, terrestrial and aquatic ecotoxicity, carcinogenic-
ity, toxicity, water consumption, land use change, and non-renewable energy depletion.
Keywords: life cycle assessment, cement industry, environmental impact, clean production.
258
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
Nasooti (2020), if the cement industry uses up to analysis, impact analysis, and interpretation
15% of energy with total CO₂ emissions of 5–7%. (Setiawan et al., 2021).
This is because in making cement, around half of In this research, the author took the case study
the CO₂ is released when decarbonizing limestone of PT A. PT A is a cement industry that produces
and the other half comes from the use of fossil slag, portland cement, composite portland ce-
fuel energy and electricity. Research conducted ment, and white clay with a production of 3.4
by Gutierrez et al. (2017), stated that GHG emis- million tons per year. Cement production at PT
sions in the form of CO₂ contribute the most to A uses a dry process with a suspension preheater.
global warming as an impact from the cement in- A suspension preheater is a tool that functions to
dustry which ranges between 98–100%, followed preheat the kiln feed so that some of the mate-
by CH₄ and N₂O with lower numbers but higher rial can be calcined. The advantage of using this
characterization factors. This decade, many process is that it can minimize fuel use, use a kiln
companies are looking for ways to comply with a shorter size, and easier maintenance (Febri-
with the environment using prevention strate- anto et al., 2022). The activities that have been
gies and environmental management systems operating at PT A consist of 2 activities, namely
to improve environmental performance within the cement factory and the mining of limestone
the company. One way that can be done is by raw materials. This research aims to examine the
implementing the concept of clean production environmental impacts arising from the cement
activities which is implemented through a life industry by applying the LCA method.
cycle assessment (LCA) (Nurzamilov and Si-
togasa, 2024). According to Hens et al. (2018),
clean production is a preventive environmen- METHODS
tal management strategy that must be applied
continuously and continuously in the produc- This research was conducted in the PT A ce-
tion process and product life cycle to reduce ment industry in February – March. The method
negative risks to the environment and humans. used in this research was divided into four, name-
The LCA method aims to identify and calcu- ly goal and scope, life cycle inventory, life cycle
late the use of natural resources and the dis- impact assessment, and interpretation. The first
charge of emissions or waste into the environ- stage is goal and scope or determining the goal
ment to be used as a reference for environmen- and scope to provide references and research limi-
tal improvement (Panggabean et al., 2023). tations from the study and collection of primary
The LCA study refers to the ISO 14040:2016 and secondary data. The limitation of this research
standard which consists of four stages, namely is the cement production stage. The unit function
determining objectives and scope, inventory used is 900,000 tons of cement (Figure 1).The
259
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
second stage is life cycle inventory or data inven- is crushed using a roll crusher with a capac-
tory collection. Primary data was obtained based ity of 500 tonnes/hour. The products resulting
on conditions in the PT A cement industry in the from the breakdown are stored in each stock-
production section and other data on the life cycle pile and storage:
of the product system studied. Meanwhile, sec- b) Supporting raw materials (corrective). The
ondary data is obtained from generally available supporting raw materials consist of silica sand
databases such as journals (Table 1). (SiO₂) and iron sand (Fe₂O₃).
The third stage is life cycle impact assess- c) Additional raw materials. Additional raw ma-
ment, where at this stage an assessment is car- terials consist of gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O).
ried out regarding the impacts caused by cement
production. The software used in LCA analysis is Grinding of raw materials
SimaPro. In conducting impact assessments us- Grinding raw materials is a stage to obtain
ing LCA, several methods can be used, such as a homogeneous mixture of materials with a fine
CML IA Baseline V3.05, Impact 2002+, EPD grain size. Limestone and clay originating from
2018, cumulative energy demand (CED), and the mining are transported using dump trucks to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (da). respective crusher units (limestone and clay) to be
However, in this research, the methods that will reduced in size (size reduction). The aim is to fa-
be used are only CML IA Baseline V3.04, Impact cilitate chemical reactions and the process of dry-
2002+, EPD 2018, and CED. Finally, the fourth ing raw materials using hot gas media originating
stage is interpretation, which is useful for provid- from the hot gas generator and/or hot gas from the
ing statements regarding the impacts caused by combustion process in the clinic. The main raw
the cement industry using LCA analysis. materials (limestone and clay) are raked using a
reclaimer from each stockpile and storage. The
results of the raking are then spilled onto a series
RESULT AND DISCUSSION of conveyor belts. A certain amount of supporting
material is mixed with the main raw material on
Life-cycle inventory the conveyor belt and then fed into the vertical
raw mill. The mixed ingredients then undergo a
Provision of raw materials
grinding and drying process in a vertical raw mill
The raw materials used for making cement at until they become raw flour as the product. The
PT A are divided into three groups, namely: raw meal product is then sucked in by a fan and
a) Main raw materials passes through a separator to obtain a standard
The main raw materials consist of limestone level of material fineness. The hot gas mixed with
(CaCO₃) and clay (2SiO₃·2H₂O). Limestone the raw meal is then separated using 4 cyclones.
and clay are obtained from quarries. Limestone The raw meal which has been separated from
is crushed using a single shaft hammer crusher the hot gas is then fed into the Continuous Flow
with a capacity of 650 tonnes/hour, while clay Silo (CF Silo). Raw meals will be homogenized
260
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
in the CF Silo and stored, and ready to be fed to grinding system and the material output uses an
the kiln. Vertical raw mills can also operate by air-swept mill system. The inlet section of the
simply grinding clay material to produce white vertical cement mill is equipped with a metal
clay according to market needs and demands. The detection system to prevent metal material from
production process is the same as raw meal pro- entering the vertical cement mill because it can
duction, only the raw meal and white clay storage damage the vertical cement mill and cause the
areas are different. grinding process to stop. If the vertical cement
mill feed is detected to contain metal, the feed
Burning raw meal will be bypassed to the waste bin. Next, the ma-
Raw meal in the CF Silo is fed to the ro- terial enters the vertical cement mill through the
tary kiln via a series of bucket elevators to be rotary airlock. The water content in the material
burned. The rotary kiln has a length of 75 m and is removed or evaporated by using hot gas from
a diameter of 4.5 m. The processes that occur at the combustion process in the kiln. The ground
this stage include initial heating of the feed in material is sucked out using a fan, and through
the preheater (drying, calcination, dehydration, a separator to separate the fine material from the
and decomposition), burning in the rotary kiln coarse material at the top of the vertical cement
(clinkerization process), and cooling in the grate mill and then enters the dust capture device (bag
cooler (quenching) so that a clinker product is filter) to be separated from the carrier air. Some
produced. The resulting clinker product is then of the gas that comes out of the bag filter is re-
stored in the Clinker Silo. cycled back to the vertical cement mill using
an exhaust fan and the other part is channeled
Cement grinding to the stack. The vertical cement mill is also
equipped with a recycling system in the form of
The raw materials used for making cement
a conveying system which functions to circulate
consist of clinker, gypsum, limestone, trass, and
material that has not been finely ground back
fly ash as additional materials. The clinker in
into the vertical cement mill. The vertical ce-
the clinker silo is transported into the clinker
ment mill is also equipped with fresh air or a hot
bin using a pan conveyor. Likewise, gypsum,
gas damper to make up gas that enters the verti-
limestone, and trass that will be used are also
cal cement mill. Vertical cement mills can also
stored in the bin. The raw material composi-
be equipped with water sluice to minimize false
tion is removed from each bin using a dosimat
water entering the vertical cement mill and wa-
feeder including a conveyor belt to the cement
ter injection to maintain the operational stability
grinding unit. The tube mill grinding process
takes the form of a crushing or rough grinding of the vertical cement mill. The grinding results
process in a roller press to a certain size and or cement products that come out of the bottom
is continued with a fine grinding or grinding bag filter are transported using a flux slide trans-
process in a tube mill containing ball steel as port and bucket elevator to an airtight cement
a grinding medium. After this material under- silo for storage. The cement produced meets
goes a grinding process and comes out of the the chemical and physical requirements for ce-
tube mill, fly ash material is added as an addic- ment with a minimum fineness of 3,800 cm2 per
tive material. The product that has come out of gram (SNI requires a minimum of 2,800 cm2 per
the tube mill and mixed with the fly ash ma- gram). Next, the cement is removed from the
terial is sent to the separator. In this separator, cement silo using a flux slide into the steel silo.
all materials undergo a separation process by
Cement packing
rotating and sucking. The fine material, which
is a cement product, will be separated from the Cement products are transported to steel silos
reject material which is still rough. The fine for the packaging process. Cement is packaged
cement product material is continued for stor- using special cement bags with a load of 50 kg us-
age in cement silos via equipment, namely air ing cement packer equipment. Cement products
slides and bucket elevators. Meanwhile, the re- that have been packaged are ready to be marketed
jected material that is still rough will return to by truck or train. Apart from that, cement is also
the tube mill cement grinding unit. The vertical marketed in big bags containing 1 ton and bulk
cement mill grinding process is a close circuit cement which is transported using tank trucks.
261
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
262
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
263
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
264
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
(Fig. 7). From the data above, it is known that limestone mining, namely 75.812% followed
natural gas in limestone mines has the highest by gold at 23.756%.
contribution of 75.897%, followed by high coal
(hard coal) at 25.765%, crude oil at 15.656%, Terrestrial ecotoxicity and aquatic ecotoxicity
low coal (brown coal) at 6.547%, and mining The depletion of terrestrial and aquatic bi-
gas. (mine gas) of 2.145%. The main contribu- ota is caused by emissions from PT A such as
tors to non-fossil abiotic depletion in the ce- aluminum, copper, and zinc emissions. Emis-
ment industry include the use of non-renewable sions of aluminum, copper, and zinc can result
non-fossil materials such as minerals, chemi- in increased concentrations of aluminum in soil
cals, and metals in various production process- and water, which can poison plants, animals,
es (Fig. 8). From the data above, it is known and microorganisms (Fig. 9).From the data
that tellurium has the largest contribution to above, it is known that the largest contribution
265
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
that disrupts terrestrial and aquatic conditions contain carcinogenic compounds such as benzene,
is aluminum at 76.543%, followed by copper formaldehyde, and polycyclics—aromatic hydro-
at 20.007%, and zinc at 17.543% (Fig. 10). The carbons (PAH). Arsenic emissions from the cement
data shows that aluminum has the largest con- industry, whether from combustion waste or produc-
tribution to influencing toxicity in the aquatic tion processes, can contribute to the risk of cancer
environment at 83.166%, followed by copper because arsenic is considered a carcinogenic sub-
at 13.544%, and zinc at 9.065%. stance for humans by global health institutions such
as WHO and EPA. Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
Carcinogenic emissions are a very dangerous type of dioxin that
Carcinogenic impacts arise due to emissions of arises from the combustion and processing processes
hydrocarbons, arsenic, and the dioxin tetrachlorod- in the cement industry. TCDD is known to be carci-
ibenzo-p from industrial activities at PT A. Hydro- nogenic to humans and can cause various serious dis-
carbon emissions from the cement industry, such as eases (Fig. 11). From the data above, it is known
exhaust gas from the fuel combustion process, can that hydrocarbons have the highest contribution
266
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
to causing carcinogenic impacts. The amount of Thallium contributed the highest with a value of
hydrocarbons was 95.765%, followed by arsenic 55.879% and chromium at 26.431%.
emissions of 4.564%, and dioxin tetrachlorod-
ibenzo-p of 3.156%. Water consumption
267
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
locations, limestone quarries, raw material stor- productivity of the land used (Fig. 14). The
age, and other supporting infrastructure. Some of percentage of contributors to land use impacts is
the impacts of land change that can occur due to 100% in limestone mines and 0% in clay mines.
cement industry activities include: This is because the clay comes from suppliers.
• Land conversion: land that was originally used
for agricultural activities, forests, or other Depletion of non-renewable energy
open land can be converted into cement in-
dustrial areas, which can change land use and The use of non-renewable energy resources
reduce the diversity of natural habitats. such as coal and crude oil can cause depletion of
• Use of pipes: the use of pipes during opera- non-renewable natural resources, increase depen-
tional activities in the cement industry can af- dence on fossil energy, and increase risks to future
fect land layout, especially around industrial energy supplies. The impact of non-renewable en-
facilities. The construction of pipe infrastruc- ergy is caused by the use of energy such as coal,
ture for the distribution of water, waste, or natural gas, and crude oil in operational processes
other materials can result in land eviction and in the PT A industry. The use of coal, natural gas,
changes in land use. and crude oil in the cement industry can produce
• Land contamination: the use of chemicals, greenhouse gas emissions such as CO₂, CH₄, and
waste, or other pollutants in the cement indus- N₂O which contribute to global warming and cli-
try production process can cause land contam- mate change. In addition, burning coal and crude
ination, which can also affect the quality and oil in the cement production process can produce
268
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
269
Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024, 25(6), 258–270
270