MEXICO CITY – Within the framework of the global climate agenda, the Inter-American Cement Federation (FICEM) held the "Green Cement & Concrete 2050" congress in Mexico City, in which the Dominican Association of Portland Cement Producers (ADOCEM) and a representation of the Dominican Government were present, along with counterpart entities from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The meeting's agenda was to discuss the acceleration of carbon-neutral pathways in the cement and concrete industry, as well as updates on existing best practices in the valorization (co-processing) and effective management of waste.
The Dominican delegation was led by Julissa Báez, executive director of ADOCEM; Max Puig, executive vice president of the National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism (CNCCMDL); Armando Paíno Henríquez Dájer, executive director of the Board of Directors of the Public-Private Trust for the Integrated Management of Solid Waste; and Dania Heredia, legal director of Cemex Dominicana.
For two days, participants had the opportunity to discuss the role of the public and private sectors, the challenges and opportunities of cement and concrete in climate adaptation and resilience, the potential for waste valorization in the cement industry in Latin America and the Caribbean, and how the circular economy is essential to achieving carbon neutrality in the industry.
On the last day of the event, participants visited the Azcapotzalco waste transfer station and sorting plant, the largest and most modern in Latin America with the capacity to process one thousand tons of urban waste daily and convert it into alternative, low-carbon fuel for co-processing.
Co-processing is an alternative that allows for the destruction of waste in the cement kiln, processing it into waste-derived fuel. This fuel undergoes a treatment and homogenization process to achieve optimal quality levels. This process generates no ash or other residue, thus mitigating the carbon footprint as part of the company's environmental sustainability strategy.
The delegation also visited the Cemex Barrientos cement plant, which uses 35% alternative fuels derived from plastics, used tires, and other sources.
Julissa Báez, from ADOCEM, said that achieving carbon neutrality, contributing to climate adaptation and contributing to a circular economy requires joint work between different actors, such as academia, industry, governments and financial entities, among other interested parties.
"Producing low-emission cement is costly and requires legal frameworks or incentives that generally do not exist for this sector, hence the importance that during this congress the need for a commitment to work collaboratively to achieve these objectives was ratified," Báez stated.
ADOCEM points out that to achieve greater energy optimization in the cement industry and a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, the best alternative is to replace fossil fuels and raw materials during the cement production process.
