Measuring the environmental impact and Uncertainty Analysis of Portland cement production in South Africa: A Recipe 2016 v 1.04 Endpoint Method Approach

Abstract

The cement industry is among the growing industries globally that negatively impact human health and global warming due to various substances released into the water, air and soil. This impact and potential damage have been studied in several ways to understand their effects, but more details are still needed. This study examines the damage done by producing 1 kg of cement in South Africa using the Recipe 2016 endpoint method. It also conducted an uncertainty analysis using the Monte Carlo method to confirm and establish its credibility. The results showed that the clinkering stage causes the most damage to human health (49%) and ecosystems 60% due to large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions. The result showed high uncertainty in Water consumption, Human health, Water consumption, Terrestrial ecosystem, Aquatic ecosystems, Human carcinogenic toxicity and Ionizing radiation. These results align with existing literature but highlight the specific contributions of clinkering.