Cemex recognised at Energy & Environment Awards

As part of the 2014 Cement Industry Energy and Environment Awards, Cemex USA received recognition in several categories, as described below.

Brooksville cement plant

The Cemex USA Brooksville plant was a runner-up in the Environmental Performance category. This category recognises cement facilities that take steps beyond those contained in environmental laws, regulations, permits and requirements to minimise their impact on the environment.

In 2013, the Brooksville plant attended monthly Groundwater Guardian meetings hosted by the Hernando County Water Utility along with county representatives, consultants, and the general public.  Water use and conservation topics are discussed to educate the public about protecting water resources.  The plant also sponsored the "Your water, Your World" event hosted by the Hernando County Utilities Department.  Additionally in 2013, Cemex signed the Cemex Water Policy, which defines the strategy for responsible water management and acts as a framework for the development of local water conservation and efficiency strategies across Cemex operations worldwide.

The Brooksville plant replaced 16 078 t of coal by consuming more than 24 500 t of alternative fuels, achieving an 18.8% alternative fuel substitution rate and reducing the site's CO2 footprint, while conserving natural resources for the future.

Clinchfield cement plant

Meanwhile, the company’s Clinchfield, Georgia, plant was a finalist in the Energy Efficiency category, which honours the plant’s energy planning, applications of efficiency technologies and practices and climate change mitigation efforts.

The Clinchfield plant continues to be the leader in energy management, alternative fuels substitution, and the communication of ENERGY STAR® messages. As part of the Energy Management Program, the Clinchfield plant has formulated a multi-disciplinary Site Energy Team to carryout site energy management activities. The team consists of members from all the departments who have a role in the energy consumption plant. They have a range of responsibilities, such as finalising energy performance goals for the plant and defining strategies for achieving the goals.

In 2013, Cemex Clinchfield continued to explore innovative solutions to manage energy consumption and costs more efficiently. One of the methods considered is participation in demand side management or power demand response offered by local utilities. Through their participation in these programmes, it has effectively contributed to power distribution grid reliability, helping to avert chances of rolling power outages, or blackouts, in local communities.

Demopolis cement plant

In a third triumph, the Cemex USA Demopolis plant in Alabama was a finalist in the Land Stewardship category, which recognises efforts to protect and enhance the surrounding land.

Cemex Demopolis actively manages approximately 1620 acres for wildlife conservation. The mission of the Cemex Wildlife at Work Program is to responsibly manage the land within their operations to protect and enhance ecosystems and biodiversity. The mission is achieved through a comprehensive set of projects, including their nest box programme. This project provides the four characteristics of quality habitat: food, water, cover, and a place to safely raise their young. Partnering with Demopolis High School’s Industrial Arts class, nest boxes were built and installed for wood ducks and song birds to provide supplemental nesting habitat along the quarry pond and open grassy areas of the property. The Cemex Demopolis wildlife team is monitoring the seven wood duck boxes and sixteen songbird boxes to ensure that they are successful, with many years of successful clutch hatches as of spring 2014. All of the wood duck boxes have been utilised by wood ducks, and approximately half of the songbird boxes have also been utilised.

In November 2013, the Demopolis plant was awarded the Wildlife Habitat Council’s Wildlife at Work certification for their voluntary, employee-based wildlife habitat enhancement efforts that exceed regulatory requirements.

Odessa cement plant

Finally, the Cemex Odessa plant in Texas was a finalist in the Environmental Performance category.

The Odessa plant designed and constructed a completely enclosed clinker storage system that includes three clinker silos. The new clinker silos were built in order to reduce the exposure of clinker to the wind and weather. The multi-million dollar construction of the clinker storage silos goes above and beyond current environmental regulations. With these new clinker silos, Cemex hopes to reduce approximately 7 tpa of permitted particulate matter emissions.

Additionally, the plant went above and beyond by replacing the old baghouse. The new baghouse uses modern technology, using pulse jets and negative pressure with modern fabric filters and a stack vent to enhance dust control practices.

The awards are co-hosted by PCA and Cement Americas and were this year judged by representatives from US EPA-ENERGY STAR, Wildlife Habitat Council, US Geological Survey, World Wildlife Fund, and Cement Americas.

Adapted from press releases by Katherine Guenioui

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/10092014/cemex-recognised-at-energy-and-environment-awards-455/