Huaxin Cement Co Ltd and Shanghai Building Material (Group) plan to jointly establish an environmental engineering company at Shanghai’s Bailong Port, a demonstration area for the efficient use of construction materials.

Along with making cement, two production lines will have the combined capacity to treat 750,000t of sewage sludge and 1Mta of industrial waste. The large project is now awaiting administrative approval.

Beijing and Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, already have such operations.

In 2005, domestic pioneer in the field BBMG Corp built multiple use cement operations in Beijing.
After waste is pre-treated, it is used as fuel to replace coal, gas or oil. High kiln temperatures destroy most poisonous waste components while leftover ash is used as raw material in cement, industry insiders said.

"Such treatment is complex and requires more technological support," said Markus Akermann, CEO of Holcim, which own a nearly 40 per cent stake in Huaxin Cement.