Yanama Cement Environmental Impact Assessment - Research Paper Example

Yanama Cement Environmental Impact Assessment Introduction and Background Yanama Cement produces 6.300.000 ton of cement annually. With this production level (approximately one-sixth of all production in Saudi Arabia), the ability to increase production significantly and the pace of construction in the kingdom the issue of environmental impacts is very important. The following brief will identify the issues to be explored and addressed in an environmental impact report for Yanama Cement. Issues The issues of the environmental impact that must be considered in an Environmental Impact Assessment for Yanama Cement are six-fold: climate protection, fuels, and raw materials, health and safety, emissions reduction, local impacts, and concrete recycling.

This issue matrix is adopted from the World Business Council for Sustainable Developments (WBCS), “Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)”. (“Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)”) Each of these issues will be briefly outlined. 1. Climate protection: In the cement industry this relates to the use of less damaging fuels (i.e. biomass) and less fuel intensive manufacturing processes (dry process). 2. Fuels and raw materials: This aspect of environmental stewardship involves the use, reuse, and recycling of raw materials, energy, and waste. 3. Health and safety: In this field, the World Business Council for Sustainable Developments (WBCS), “Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)” motto is Aiming for Zero.

The objective is no employee injuries or fatalities. 4. Emissions reduction: Reduction or elimination of the release of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). 5. Local impacts: This aspect of environmental stewardship involves the reduction of airborne particulate matter discharge and noise, “disturbance to landscape, local watershed and local biodiversity caused by limestone quarrying” and involvement of all relevant local stakeholders. 6. Concrete recycling: Recycling concrete, by definition, reduces the need to manufacture and by definition reduces all of the negative factors identified above in 1 through 5.