The co-processing of wastes in cement kilns could offer a safe option to reduce China’s growing waste management issue. However, the development of standards and guidelines reflecting international practice is key to the sustainable co-processing of such wastes. Recognising its importance, the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection recently revised and updated emission standards for co-processing in cement plants. By Da Hai Yan, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, China – Kåre Helge Karstensen, Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research (SINTEF), Norway – Xu Juan, Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Management and Zheng Peng, Foreign Economic Cooperation Office, Ministry of Environmental Protection, China.
Cement production reached 2.28bnt in China in 2013, accounting for 57 per cent of the world’s cement production. This output has been vital in the rapid development of the national economy but has also brought serious environmental pollution. According to official statistics, China’s cement industry accounted for 15-20 per cent of all particulate matters (PM), four per cent of SO2 and 11 per cent of total NOx emissions.1
