Cement companies in Japan are getting in on cutting down on CO2 emissions and hope to help their counterparts in China and India do the same. The Japan Cement Association is taking the lead by sending engineers to China and India to produce estimates for how much CO2 can be decreased.

Japanese cement makers are working with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to publish on the Internet ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at cement plants for free, and some of them are :

  1. power-efficient pulverizers
  2. mechanisms for recycling waste heat from baking furnaces
  3. using the recycled heat to generate power and heat up raw materials

And some quick facts -

  • Japan produces 70 million tons of cement annually, the 6th largest producer of CO2 among Japan’s industries.
  • China and India together make up about 50% of the world’s cement output.
  • Some 5,000+ cement companies in China produce 1.1+ billion tons of cement.
  • Some 500+ Indian companies produce 150 million tons.

If these guys can save some gas, it’ll make a difference. And, for once, Japan is leading.

Source: Nikkei (!sub required) – Image courtesy of ykanazawa1999