Life Cycle Assessment Studies

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is fast emerging as an environmental management tool adopted worldwide, to identify priorities for improvements in process operations, product design, alternative materials development and product substitution to meet the twin objectives of optimal resource utilization and sustainable development. Cement producers the world over, today are developing rigorous methodologies to appropriately utilize this tool to reach/retain their competitive position in the global market.

LCA study for cement sector was carried out in 2005-06 for the first time by NCB, under the aegis of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India. NCB had evaluated input & output in terms of thermal energy and electrical energy, raw materials and emissions starting from mining to dispatch of cement for four major cement plants in different zones. The impact analysis in terms of global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), resource depletion (RD) and land use (LU) etc. was carried out to identify and improve the environmental parameters for individual processing units. This study has been completed from cradle to gate. In order to complete the whole life cycle, i.e. from gate to grave, LCA study for Construction Industry-Concrete was again sponsored by MoEF. NCB has evaluated the environmental impacts from different phases of four commercial buildings, two RMC plants and concrete road situated in different geographical locations. Various alternate paths for environment improvements were analyzed on the basis of five impact categories namely GWP, AP, resource conservation etc. LCA studies were also carried out for cement plants using alternate fuels and steel re-rolling mills sector