Análisis de ciclo de vida de materiales de construcción.

Abstract

Cement production represents approximately 12-15% of total global industrial energy use, also it is responsible for 5-7% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions (CO2eq).Consequently, energy consumption, the impact on climate change and the depletion of natural resources are the main concerns in this industry. In Ecuador, sustainability studies of this material have focused on the operational phase, leaving aside the production phase. The present work determines the consumption of energy, water and CO2eq emissions in the production phase (gate to gate approach) of one ton of pozzolanic Portland cement type GU in Ecuador. For this, the information of the Guapáncement plant, that is belonging to the National Cement Union corporation, was taken as a reference. Life cycle analysis, that is detailed in ISO 14040, was used to calculate energy consumption and CO2eq emissions; and the Water Footprint Network methodology was used to calculate the water blue footprint. The results show that the calcination stage is the one with the highest energy consumption (3218,8 MJ/toncemento) and is also responsible for 95% of CO2eq emissions. On the other hand, the highest water consumption occurs in the cooling tower (0,18 m3/toncemento). This research is a preamble to the identification of opportunities for improvement in energy and environmental performance in the production process of this material.