Life cycle assessment of a cement plant in Naypyitaw, Myanmar

Abstract

Cement production accounts for about 5% of the total anthropogenic CO2 emissions and 12–15% of the global energy use from the industrial sector. The impact on climate change and natural resource depletion are among the key concerns of the cement industry. Cement demand has been growing rapidly in many developing countries due to a booming construction sector spurred by rapid urbanization. Myanmar is one of these countries and has started to privatize its cement industry to meet the growing domestic demand. This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) production in Myanmar using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the Max Myanmar Cement Plant in Naypyitaw. The LCA examines the entire cement production chain, using two alternative scenarios for fuel substitution. The results suggest that conventional cement production has adverse environmental impacts, with the calcination stage being responsible for most impacts. Calcination accounts for 89%, 95% and 97% of the effect for the climate change, acidification, and eutrophication impact categories respectively. Fuel switching from the coal dominating mix to 100% natural gas can decrease environmental impacts for most mid-point impact categories, such as climate change (68% reduction), acidification potential (83% reduction), and eutrophication potential (96% reduction).

Keywords

• Cement
• Construction materials
• Environmental impacts
• Life cycle assessment
• Myanmar