Study on Recycling and Recovery of Waste in the Cement Industry in Spain updated

In 2009 the Fundación Laboral del Cemento y el Medio Ambiente (CEMA Foundation) published the first reference study on “Recycling and Recovery of Waste in the Cement Industry in Spain”, based on work carried out by Institut Cerdà.

This was the most complete and comprehensive study on the subject, carried out to date in the Spanish cement sector. It has been is updated periodically since then providing a permanent observatory on the evolution of the recovery of waste in the cement sector, within the framework of its commitment to the sustainable use of resources. This update, the eighth edition, includes an analysis of the modifications of the Integrated Environmental Authorizations of cement plants, focusing on the relative use of both waste and alternative fuels, and the use of these as alternative raw materials.

An inventory is also made of the consumption of raw materials and alternative fuels in each autonomous community in Spain and for each of the 37 integral cement factories active since 2004.

The 33 integral cement production factories in Spain have a valid Integrated Environmental Authorization. The Integrated Environmental Authorizations are the basis that establishes the requirements for an installation to perform energy recovery operations. The Autonomous Communities with the largest number of authorized facilities are Andalusia and Catalonia, followed by Castilla y León, the Valencian Community and the Basque Country.

The waste most used by cement plants in recent years has been waste-derived fuels (WDF) followed by worn out tyres and animal flours. Although the optimal environmental management route for many waste streams in Spain would be material and energy recovery in cement kilns, most are still deposited in landfills.

The main conclusions can be consulted in the following infographic and the complete study can be found at www.fundacióncema.org