Greening manufacturing practices in a continuous process industry

Abstract

Purpose – The paper aims to observe a continuous process industry, the cement manufacturing industry with the aim of identifying greening opportunities in its production operations. The study analyses areas pertaining to the cement industry that impact the environment with specific focus on the industry within a developing, lower income country. Design/methodology/approach – A cleaner production (CP) approach was used in a case study approach, focussing on issues such as gaseous emissions and particulate emissions. Both capital intensive and less intensive options are proposed. Source reduction and pollution prevention operations that were used in this study include chemical substitution, technology modification and on-site reuse/recovery/recycling opportunities. Findings – The paper provides insights about how change is brought about within a continuous process industry. It suggests that successful leaders act as “integrating forces” on two levels: integrating the elements of corporate identity structures and mediating between the corporate branding structures and the individual. Capital interventions included redesigning the clinker conveyor, as well as restructuring the dust transportation system. There is a need for the developing countries to track and identify modern interventions that are available within industry and adopt them. Research limitations/implications – The paper focusses on a single cement factory in a low income country, as the case study approach was used. As such, findings and options generated may not be generalized, as the processes from one industry to another tend to differ in different economies. Practical implications – The paper includes implications for the development of greening manufacturing practices in the cement industry. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need to study how greening practices can be enabled and enhanced in a continuous manufacturing industry. The work informs greening practices at any level, with a focus of production experiences in the cement industry in a lower technology, developing economy that is less industrialized.

Implementation of cleaner production: A ten-year retrospective on benefits and difficulties found

“…Quality and improvement of product safety for consumers Boltic et al, 2016;Büyükbay et al, 2010;Dodić et al, 2010;Esquer et al, 2016;Fore and Mbohwa, 2015;Ochoa George et al, 2010;Oliveira and Alves, 2007;Severo et al, 2015;Silvestre and Silva Neto, 2014;Thrane et al, 2009;Vieira and Amaral, 2016;Yusup et al, 2015) 22,22%…”

“…Technological update of productive processes (Almeida et al, 2015;Altham, 2007;Bai et al, 2014;Boltic et al, 2016;Bonilla et al, 2010;Büyükbay et al, 2010;Castillo-Vergara et al, 2015;Daylan et al, 2013;Dodić et al, 2010;Esquer et al, 2016;Fore and Mbohwa, 2015;Geng et al, 2010;Giannetti et al, 2008;Hicks and Dietmar, 2007;Huang et al, 2013;Li and Hamblin, 2016;Oliveira and Alves, 2007;Oliveira Neto et al, 2015;Ozturk et al, 2016;Ribeiro Massote and Moura Santi, 2013;Rivera et al, 2009;Silvestre and Silva Neto, 2014;Thrane et al, 2009;Ulutas et al, 2012;Vieira and Amaral, 2016;Wang et al, 2015;Willers et al, 2014;Yüksel, 2008;Yusup et al, 2015;Zhou and Zhao, 2015) 59,26% a) Reduction of pollution, waste, and GHG emissions It can be seen from Table 3 that the reduction of pollution levels generated by a productive operation, as well as its level of residues and greenhouse gas emissions, are among the main and most generalized benefits of Cleaner Production found in the literature. Of the 56 articles researched that mentioned benefits associated with their implementation, about 96%…”

“…Lack of clear sustainability guidelines (organizational or governmental). (Almeida et al, 2015;Altham, 2007;Bai et al, 2014Bai et al, , 2015Dodić et al, 2010;Dong et al, 2012;Fore and Mbohwa, 2015;Geng et al, 2010;Hicks and Dietmar, 2007;Li and Hamblin, 2016;Lopes Silva et al, 2013;Peng and Liu, 2016;Schaltegger et al, 2012;Severo et al, 2015;Shi et al, 2008;Silvestre and Silva Neto, 2014;Thrane et al, 2009;Ulutas et al, 2012;Velazquez et al, 2014;Vieira and Amaral, 2016;Yüksel, 2008;Žarković et al, 2011) 59,46%…”

Air quality assessment and modelling of pollutants emission from a major cement plant complex in Nigeria

“…Air pollutants released from the production activities include particulates (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NO X ), sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ), and hydrocarbons. Pollutants are released from raw material handling, clinker production and storage, cement bulk loading, packaging of final product and power utilities (Fore and Mbohwa, 2015;Gupta et al, 2012;Hasanbeigi et al, 2012). Air pollutants released from stationary and mobile sources in cement manufacturing plants can have a negative impact on environment and health.…”

Evaluation of Vegetation Restoration along an Expressway in a Cold, Arid, and Desertified Area of China

“…Some expressway greening projects were only possible with the use of engineering work [15], with large investments. Also, over time, with rock weathering, concrete aging, and steel bar erosion, the protection effects become weaker [16,17]. In the northern regions of China, cutting slopes are also highly vulnerable to wind erosion [18,19].…”