Options and limitations in NOx abatement in the cement industry, Part 1

For almost 20 years the German cement industry has been dealing with the pr oblem of NOx emissions and the industrial options for reducing them. There has been a continuous decrease for a number of years in the proportion of t he total NOx emissions in Germany wh ich can be attributed to the cement in dustry but it continues to remain at the focal point of politics because of the large stationary sources of emissions. Regulation of NOx emissions fro m the cement industry is determined increasingly not just by the nation al legislature but also by political developments on the European level. Parti cular mention should be made of the description of "Best Available Techniqu es" for the cement industry and the adoption of the European Incineration D irective at the end of 2000. This article describes the latest developments with respect to the industrial options for NOx abatement and the investiga tions carried out by the Research Institute of the Cement Industry in this connection.