SENS 715

Life Cycle Assessment Methods and Tools

Dr. Sami G. Al-Ghamdi

Student A Name

Fall 2022

Life cycle assessment of Portland cement

 Product description
• Cement
Cement is a binder, a substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them
together. Cement mixed with fine aggregate produces mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel, produces concrete.
• Traditional Portland cement is composed primarily of calcium silicate minerals as shown in the table.

Table 1 : Raw material composition of clinker, the primary component of Portland cement

Raw materials Sources Mass percent

lime Limestone, shells, chalk 60–67
Silica Sand, fly ash 17–25
Alumina Clay, shale, fly ash 2–8
Iron oxide Iron ore 0–6

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• Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)
• Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC)
• Rapid Hardening Cement
• Extra Rapid Hardening Cement
• Low Heat Cement
• Sulfates Resisting Cement
• Quick Setting Cement
• Blast Furnace Slag Cement
• High Alumina Cement
• White Cement

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 Part 1

Introduction & Background

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 Introduction
• The current level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is approaching
380 ppm. Without drastic market, technological, and societal changes CO2
concentrations are projected to increase to over 800 ppm by the end of the
century.
• Approximately 5% of global carbon emissions originate from the manufacturing
of cement. The calcination process (driving off CO2 from CaCO3 to form CaO)
accounts for roughly half of the CO2 emitted, while the remaining carbon
results from energy usage during the production process.

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 Introduction
• According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Greenhouse Gas R&D
Programme cement production generates an average world carbon emission of
0.81 kg CO2 per kg cement produced.
• On average approximately 1 ton of concrete is produced each year for every
human being in the world.
• Therefore concrete(i.e. cement) is one of the World’s most significant
manufactured materials

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 Production Process

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 Energy and emission inventory elements for the
traditional cement manufacturing
Finish grinding and blending
input or Energy (electricity)
Unit emission
Coal GJ 0.322
Crushing, grinding, and blending
Fuel oil GJ 0.069
Energy (electricity)
Natural gas GJ 0.069
Coal GJ 0.224
Fuel oil GJ 0.048
Emissions
Natural gas GJ 0.048
Particulate matter lbs 0.012

Emissions
Particulate matter lbs 0.011

Preheating and kiln

Energy (heat)
Coal GJ 3.23
Fuel oil GJ 0.693
Natural gas GJ 0.693

Emissions
Particulate matter kg 0.02
Carbon dioxide ton 0.51
Cement kiln dust ton 0.1

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 Part 2

Methods & Procedures

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 Methods
• The LCA methodology used in this study follows the stages outlined by
International Organization for Standards (ISO) 14040.
System boundaries This study presents a cradle-to-gate life-cycle assessment of
several cement products.
• The functional unit of analysis in this study is the production of the equivalent
of 20 bags (each bag w 100 lb) of general use Class I Portland cement.
• The goal of the study is to determine the environmental impacts, specifically
global warming potential, from the production of approximately 1 ton of
cement

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 Methods
• The four major stages of the LCA applied in this study include:
• (1) Determination of the assessment scope and boundaries;
The scope of the project focuses on the raw material acquisition, processing,
and product manufacturing stages
• (2) Selection of inventory of outputs and inputs;
• (3) Assessment of environmental impact data compiled in the inventory; and
• (4) Interpretation of results and suggestions for improvement.

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 Part 3

Results & Discussion

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 Life cycle impact assessment
• The environmental impacts of cement manufacturing can be local, regional, or
global in scale.
• Local effects include noise, air quality, and natural disturbance of mining raw
materials.
• Emissions such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) contribute to
acid rain on a regional scale.
• Carbon emissions originating from the calcining process and combustion of
fossil fuels contribute to global climate change.
• The Eco-indicator95 in SimaPro was used to assess the environmental impact
of the cement products/processes.

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 Life cycle impact assessment

• The production of clinker is the most energy

intensive and emission intensive process in the
manufacturing of cement, accounting for more
than 80–85% of the overall environmental
impact score. In addition, coal and fuel oil
account for a majority of the fuel related
environmental impacts.

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