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Cement
Cement Links
Contact
Carl Koch (koch.carl@epa.gov)
National Cement Sector Point-of-Contact
(202) 566-2972
Office of Solid Waste
Anthony Carrell (carrell.anthony@epa.gov)
Team Leader for Cement Kiln Dust Rule
(703) 308-0458
Office of Air and Radiation
Robin Segall (segall.robin@epa.gov)
Senior Environmental Scientist
(919) 541-0893
Sector Profile
Portland cement is the generic term for a fine gray powder that binds sand and gravel into concrete. It is produced by combining limestone, clay and sand, blended to exact proportions, grounded together, and then heated in a kiln to form the intermediate product - clinker. After cooling, clinker is ground with a small amount of gypsum into the portland cement product.
The U.S. cement industry's production capacity in 2001 was nearly 90 million metric tons, with an annual value of shipments of about $6.5 billion. There are 39 clinker producing companies, and 108 plants in 36 states. Nearly 80% of all U.S. plants used coal, coke or some combination of the two as kiln fuel. Nine plants reported using waste as a primary fuel, and 48 plants reported waste as an alternative fuel. Foreign companies own 78% of U.S. capacity.
Particulate matter (PM and PM-10), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2) are the primary emissions from the manufacture of portland cement.
Working with the Industry
Our partnership will promote use of Environmental Management Systems by the cement industry, overcome barriers to environmental improvement, and measure results.
- Promoting Environmental Management Systems: Issue analysis for EMS initiatives are under development. Initial efforts will focus on preparing "business case" arguments for using EMS.
- Regulatory Innovation: We are examining regulations affecting the cement industry, looking for ways to improve environmental performance and reduce burden. EPA regulations for this sector include air release monitoring & reporting and solid waste management.
- Measuring Results: We are presently reviewing existing EPA and cement industry data to identify a consistent set of environmental performance indicators. You can read the Cement chapter in the Sector Strategies Performance Report.
Trade Associations
Portland Cement Association 
1130 Connecticut Av., N.W., Suite 1250
Washington, D.C. 20036
Andrew T. O'Hare (aohare@cement.org), Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
(202) 408-9494
Tom Carter (tcarter@cement.org), Director, Environment, Health and Safety
(202) 408-9494
Related Links
Web sites
- Portland Cement Association
- Cement Sustainability Initiative: World Business Council for Sustainable Development
- Cement Sustainability Initiative: Industry Portal Sites
- CEMBUREAU - The European Cement Association
Documents of Note
- EPA Office of Solid Waste: Standards for the Management of Cement Kiln Dust Waste
- EPA Air Toxics: Rule and Implementation Information for Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry
- EPA Sector Notebook: Stone, Clay, Glass, and Concrete Industry (1995)
- EPA Alternative Control Techniques: NOx Emissions from Cement Manufacturing (PDF) (198 pp, 609 K, About PDF)
- U.S. Census Bureau: 1997 Economic Census, Cement Manufacturing
- Cement Sustainability Initiative: WBCSD Research Reports