“Cleaner Production” and the Co-Incineration of Hazardous Waste at the CIMPOR Cement Plant in Souselas

Abstract

Not being a vital industry in the strict sense, like agriculture, livestock, or fisheries, and not having the predominance in our foreign trade that tourism or Port wine enjoys, the importance of cement for the development of the national economy is, nonetheless, unquestionable.

With a turnover of 981.3 million Euros in 1999, all economic indicators point to the growth of the cement industry as a key sector of the national industry. However, despite its strategic importance for economic development, cement production involves extractive and processing activities whose environmental impacts are far from negligible.

To fully appreciate on the ground the scope of cement production activities, experience the resulting environmental pressure, and gauge the efforts of those managing the operations, we visited the CIMPOR facilities in Souselas.