Water footprint and virtual water assessment in cement industry: A case study in Iran

Abstract To reduce the water footprint of a cement plant is one of the most important clean production performance indicators of the manufacturer. This paper proposes a comprehensive model for evaluating water footprint of cement production based on the type of energy consumption, transportation and human effects using a system boundary analysis. A cement plant located on western Iran is analysed to demonstrate the application of the proposed model and a sensitivity analysis is conducted to show the effects of different parameters on the performance of the model. The paper shows that the total water footprint of the selected cement plant accounts for 3.614 × 106 m3 in 2016 with water consumption intensity of 2.126 m3 per each ton of cement production indicating the risk of surviving cement industry in dry regions. The paper also shows that in the selected cement plant virtual water consumption contributes to the 90 percent of the total water footprint value. In addition, the paper demonstrates that the majority of the virtual water consumption is related to the energy sources which is 9.3 times more than the direct water consumption of the case study plant. Furthermore, the paper shows that water footprint can be most effectively reduced by shifting to greater contributions of wind and solar energy. This paper will be of interest to academics and practitioners interested in cleaner production of cement plants. It provides an understanding of water consumption of the cement industry broader than is currently available.