Comparative Analysis of Cement Production Methods Using a Life Cycle Assessment and a Multicriteria Decision-Making Approach

Busola Dorcas Akintayo (), Olubayo Moses Babatunde and Oludolapo Akanni Olanrewaju
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Busola Dorcas Akintayo: Department of Industrial Engineering, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa
Olubayo Moses Babatunde: Department of Electrical Electronics Engineering, University of Lagos, Akoka 101017, Nigeria
Oludolapo Akanni Olanrewaju: Department of Industrial Engineering, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 2, 1-21

Abstract: Manufacturing cement has a major impact on climate change, resource depletion, and pollution. Selecting sustainable cement alternatives is vital but entails difficult trade-offs between numerous variables. The objective of this study is to determine the most environmentally beneficial method of cement manufacturing by employing an integrated life cycle assessment multi-criteria decision-making technique. The LCA is employed to quantitatively evaluate the environmental effects of ten different methods of cement production across eighteen distinct categories. Meanwhile, the CRITIC weighted TOPSIS and EDAS MCDM approaches are utilized to rank the various alternatives by determining their proximity to the optimal solution. The LCA results showed that CEM III/A slag cement had lower environmental impacts than Portland cement. With a ranking score of 0.9094 and 1.7228 for EDAS and TOPSIS techniques, respectively, both MCDM identified CM10: ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) as the most recommended. In addition, midpoint characterization revealed that clinker production was responsible for 55% of the global warming impact. Based on these findings, slag cements are more environmentally friendly than Portland cement. Furthermore, an integrated LCA-MCDM approach offers a thorough sustainability evaluation that incorporates many aspects. Overall, this research shows that blast furnace slag cements, notably CM10, are ideal alternatives for reducing the environmental consequences of cement production in a variety of areas. This integrated methodology provides a systematic framework for making informed decisions in the production of sustainable cement.

Keywords: cement production; slag; emissions; life cycle assessment; multi-criteria decision making; technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution; evaluation based on distance from average solution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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