Environmental Impacts Of Cement

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Introduction:
The natural environment is the term that encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on earth or some part thereof. The natural environment is contrasted with the built environment which comprises the areas and components which are strongly influenced by humans and human activity. Environmental issues arise when development unduly negatively impacts the natural environment by exhausting natural resources or by destroying the ecological system. Over the last two decades a number of environmental regulations were developed in order to protect the environment for future generations and to serve as guidelines to assist with the implementation of environmental management plans for developers. Environmental regulations have become very important and almost no civil engineering project is complete without being influenced by these regulations.
In the construction industry a lot of emphasis has been placed on preserving the environment. In the not so recent past, large construction projects were started without undertaking impact studies on the environment. Nowadays it is a legislative requirement that a proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) must be compiled and approved before any construction work may commence. The growing importance of sustaining the natural environment is one of the major challenges that design and construction engineers face today.
Whether you consider the design of a dam retaining wall, bridge or building, all elements require the use of cement in some process. Below is a description of the environmental impacts due to manufacture and use of cement and methods of reducing these impacts.
Environmental impact due to the production o...

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