Strong increase in the substitution of natural raw materials
Following the trend of recent years, the use of by-products or waste as raw material for the manufacture of clinker grew again exponentially during 2023, reaching 360 thousand tons of recovered waste. This 36% increase in the total amount allowed for a 25% increase in the amount of natural resources saved.
Thus, the material valorization in the Catalan cement factories reached 6.61% of the total raw materials consumed, an increase of 41% compared to the previous year, which had already been a record year. The importance of these data is reinforced if we take into account that the increase took place in a context of stagnation of clinker production.
Granulated slag, other alternative raw materials, waste industrial, ornamental and crude oil-derived rocks, and pozzolans are the categories of by-products that were most materially valorized in the Catalan clinker kilns.
| Raw material / By-product type | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Var. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cement grinding ashes | 690 | 0 | 6.359 | |
| Dehydrated sludge | 1.810 | 1.638 | 859 | -48% |
| Carbonated sludge (industrial waste) | 7.471 | 4.630 | 1.313 | -72% |
| Sands contaminated with hydrocarbons | 872 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Concrete waste | 34.032 | 19.137 | 35.080 | 83% |
| Pozzolana | 0 | 0 | 37.476 | |
| Other alternative raw materials | 10.651 | 26.378 | 81.620 | 209% |
| Iron Shavings | 22.888 | 16.457 | 26.892 | 63% |
| Cement grinding slag | 0 | 0 | 170 | |
| Granulated slag | 100.531 | 169.174 | 121.349 | -28% |
| White slag from steel industry | 3.917 | 11.498 | 7.085 | -38% |
| Thermal slag | 2.142 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Industrial rock waste, ornamental and derived from crude oil | 0 | 17.225 | 39.197 | 128% |
| Synthetic plaster | 0 | 0 | 3.364 | |
|
Total |
185.004 |
266.137 |
360.763 |
36% |
| % materially recovered raw material |
3,2% |
4,7% |
6,61% |
41% |
| tons avoided from the exploitation of natural resource |
180.711 |
288.276 |
360.834 |
25% |
Note: Data in tons
Source: Generalitat de Catalunya
