Utilization of Waste for Energy Generation in Clinker Production: Environmental Perspective

Meeting the increasing energy need from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas caused the rapid depletion of natural resources. In a world where the need for energy is constantly increasing and resources are getting scarce, it is necessary to ensure the sustainability of energy. Clinker production is a process which require high amount of energy in manufacturing industry. The fact that energy is mostly obtained from coal, which is a non-renewable fuel, puts the future of the sustainability of cement production at risk. Alternative fuel usage plays the most important role in achieving more than one goal, such as protecting natural resources and utilization of waste. In this study, data was obtained from Turkish cement factories which used waste for fuel generation in clicker production in year 2017. The data was evaluated and amount of coal that could be saved annually was calculated. Results revealed that a10934.573 TJ of energy was obtained from the use of waste for alternative fuel in 2017 in Turkey thus, it is demonstrated that 918871 tons of nonrenewable fuel-lignite coal could be preserved.