Environmental efforts of Saudi Readymix

Saudi Readymix has launched Khobar’s Green Factory that is a highly technological and environmentally-friendly concrete factory. The company has conducted numerous scientific tests that follow the Health and Environmental Protection Standards to ensure that the factory adheres to global standards and ensure environmental integrity. These tests included emission testing, active noise control, and wastewater treatment, using equipment accredited by The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection (GAMEP) in Saudi Arabia, while also following the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards. The company has designed a special absorption system to reduce dust emissions and other particulates while mixing the concrete and filling raw materials into factory storage silos. The testing proved the level of emitted dust and extraneous matter was within the limit allowed by the Saudi Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME). The system also restores the emitted cement dust to secondary storage silos that become recyclable raw materials.

In addition, the company has installed a noise-canceling roof to provide a comfortable working environment and to reduce sound pollution from spreading to the surrounding environment. The testing on this proved the level of noise to be within limits allowed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Likewise, the tests also revealed that emission quantities in indoor air fall within boundaries permitted by the PME.

The industrial Wastewater Treatment System also falls within limits allowed by the PME. Moreover, the Refractory Concrete Treatment System recycles raw materials that are converted to gravel used in mixing. Saudi Readymix takes pride in administering state-of-the-art technology to provide a healthy and safe environment in a way that guarantees the sustainability of natural resources and capital for future generations.

Green concrete

Saudi Readymix is the biggest company in Alturki Holding’s portfolio, with around 30 factories and facilities spread across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This scale is also prevalent in the environmental impact of the subsidiary. As shown earlier, Saudi Readymix accounts for the vast majority (over 90%) of fuel, electricity, and water consumption of the Group. It is also responsible for the majority of air-travel, material consumption, and volumes of waste disposed. Furthermore, the cement industry is one of the highest emitting sectors in the world, contributing to about 7% to global anthropogenic CO2 emissions, making the cement industry prime for CO2 emission mitigation strategies. [1]

Saudi Readymix has allocated many resources to address these challenges and innovate in various ways to enhance their concrete mixes’ quality, as well as ensure a lower environmental impact of their production. The company is committed to the transparency of its supply chain, and even though it does not manufacture cement, it still accounts for it in its emissions and ensures development and enhancement in its production of concrete from purchased cementitious materials.

The main component of cement is calcium carbonate. During cement production, calcium carbonate is converted into calcium oxides. It is estimated that one ton of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) emits around 0.9 tons of CO2. Total cement usage can be reduced by supplementary cementitious materials like Natural Pozzolan, Fly Ash, Silica Fume, and Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBS), which are waste byproducts that would otherwise have been discarded. It is proven that the strength and workability of the commodity have increased significantly by combining smaller quantities of cement with supplementary materials. Saudi Readymix has developed and manufactured a large number of mix designs that reduce the CO2 impact by significant percentages.

[1]Cramer, N.J., 2019. Mitigating Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Cement Industry Through Carbon Capture and Storage.

The table below shows the usage of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) in the last four years. Overall the company’s concrete has gone from being 96% OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement), produced in a rotary kiln, where each ton emits around 0.9 tons of CO2 to having only 89% OPC. By doing this, Saudi Readymix has saved more than 400 thousand tons of CO2 during the last four years.

  Unit 2015 2016 2017 2018
Cement (OPC) Tons 22,000 22,000 22,000 22,000
CGBS 40,250 32,652 61,387 69,248
Fly Ash 6,926 10,099 41,474 66,759
Moderate Sulphate (MS) 40,485 38,152 24,648 26,991
Sum 2,334,861 2,086,526 1,769,345 1,576,307
Production Cubic metre 5,930,907 5,325,270 4,403,279 3,863,304
Percentage of Cementitious Cement (OPC) Cubic metre 96.2% 96.2% 96.2% 96.2%
GGBS 1.7% 1.6% 3.5% 4.4%
Fly Ash 0.3% 0.5% 2.3% 4.2%
Moderate Sulphate (MS) 1-7% 1.8% 1.4% 1.7%
CO2 Saved Tons 78,985 72,813 114,758 146,698

 

As shown in the table below, Saudi Readymix was able to gradually and consistently reduce CO2 emissions per ton of concrete production and aims at maintaining this slight decrease through carbon-neutral supplements.

Reduction Unit 2015 2016 2017 2018
CO2 emissions per Ton of Concrete Tons 0.813 0.807 0.790 0.783
ALTURKI

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