China’s path to green growth
It’s been almost 25 years since Changming Gao, senior consultant of FLSmidth (Beijing) Co Ltd, proposed the ‘Four-Zero and One-Negative’ sustainable development strategy. Since then, continuous improvements and innovation have enabled the cement industry in China to make considerable progress along the green growth track. By Changming Gao, FLSmidth (Beijing) Co Ltd, China.
Major Chinese producers such as Huaxin Cement (pictured) have taken the lead in driving the
domestic cement industry’s ‘Four-Zero and One-Negative’ sustainable development strategy
In the first issue of 1997 of the Cement Technology magazine (January 1997) the author published an article on the ‘Sustainable development strategy of the cement industry’ where he proposed the ‘Four-Zero and One-Negative’ concept. This entailed:
Four-Zero
1. Minimising pollutants to achieve zero pollution from the cement manufacturing process
2. Reduce specific power consumption, and develop and apply waste heat power generation (WHPG) to achieve zero external power consumption during clinker production
3. Eliminate various wastes generated in cement production to achieve the zero deposit of wastewater and waste residue from plants
4. Use 100 per cent alternative fuels to achieve zero consumption of fossil fuels during the clinker production process.
One-Negative
Utilise more additives and less clinker, absorb (activate) waste residue and contribute to the negative growth of various wastes across society.
