EMERGY ANALYSIS OF THE PRODUCTION OF AGGREGATES IN CUBA. CASE STUDY: EL CANAL FACTORY

Abstract

Introduction:
Environmental protection has become an important factor in the performance indicators of modern industries due to the growing demand for more sustainable manufacturing processes. Considering the accelerated urbanization process in Cuba, the construction materials industry is of special interest, especially the production of aggregates, which, in addition to the pressure to which it is subjected, has suffered decades of exploitation.
Objective:
To analyze the potential environmental impacts of different aggregate production schemes in Cuba, taking as a case study the El Canal factory located in Cienfuegos province.
Materials and Methods:
Emergy analysis was used for its ability to evaluate the influence of different types of resources on the economic system.
Results and Discussion:
The production process of the El Canal factory can be improved through different technological changes, with the most suitable being the introduction of hydrocyclone plants in the classification process, as it mitigates environmental impacts with a considerably lower emergy investment.
Conclusions:
Although the aggregate production process has a moderate economic impact, it is not sustainable in the long term (ESI=0.0011) as it incurs marked environmental impacts due to the intensive use of non-renewable resources.