Identification of environmental impacts caused by the cement industry in Brazil

Abstract

The discovery of cement was essential for society, being largely responsible for the development of humanity. According to data from the João Pinheiro Foundation (2019), the Brazilian housing deficit is 5.876 million homes. Thus, to change this scenario, it is necessary to implement cement industries and use cement due to its economic application in housing construction. However, due to the cement production processes, the cement industry is seen as one of the most impactful industrial activities in environmental and social terms, generating a series of environmental impacts. Thus, this article aims to present the production process of the cement industry in Brazil, identifying the environmental impacts that occur in the various productive stages of cement, from the extraction of raw materials, through clinkerization to the final production of cement. Although in Brazilian cement industries are increasingly looking for sustainable solutions, with the application of techniques and equipment that generate less complications in the locations where they operate, there are still records of environmental damage caused by factories that impact not only the health of the communities that live close to them, as well as the environment, in which it presents soil degradation and water contamination.