Foam-sweet-foam

Industries all across the world have felt the societal and governmental pressure to operate in a more sustainable manner. Gone are the days of profit being the single biggest indicator of a company’s health. The evolution of business practices has brought with it a need to not only profit, but to do so with the smallest possible impact on the environment. One global industry affected by this combined challenge is cement production. This industry is tasked with the responsibility of reducing airborne particulate matter and improving greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which are produced during the quarrying, crushing, and calcination processes that are intrinsic to the manufacture of cement. Federal mandates such as PM10 and PM2.5, place responsibilities on all mining operations to control and contain respirable dust particulates of 10 µm and 2.5 µm in size. This is done to prevent potential respiratory illness such as silicosis and other cardiovascular problems. Although, respirable dust is a major concern, a greater focus is placed on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the energy-intense calcination process of manufacturing the clinker.

Fugitive dust, small particulate matter suspended in air, is a health and safety hazard that must be controlled as per the federal mandates mentioned previously. Foam dust suppression is a unique method that targets these particulates. Unlike conventional water sprays, foam dust suppression is effective while adding little moisture. This promotes significant water savings while also reducing additional BTU cost and CO₂ production from drying the wetted materials during production. With the push for environmentally friendly manufacturing, foam suppression is strongly suited to meeting current industry expectations.

As recent as September 23, 2021, California signed into law Senate Bill 596. By 2030, SB596 requires the Californian cement industry to develop methods of cement production to reduce GHG emissions to 40% below the levels observed in 1990. There are many set timelines and benchmarks required to meet the overall goal. Coincidently, this is also the expected deadline for the cap-and-trade programme. The proposed programme, to replace cap-and-trade, will be a carbon tax paid directly to the state of California at an estimated cost of US$20/t of carbon dioxide emitted (CO₂e).

This may appear a minimal cost of doing business. However, when considering the amount of CO₂ produced by the cement manufacturing process, about 0.9 lbs of CO₂/lb of cement; an operation can incur additional costs of US$18 million per year for a facility producing 1 t of cement annually.

Historically, California has been the leader in setting environmental standards which other states tend to adopt with little modification. Due to the global concern over CO₂e, it is anticipated that other states sign similar bills into action.

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Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/special-reports/14102022/foam-sweet-foam/