Impacts of cement industry air pollutants on the environment and satellite data applications for air quality monitoring and management.

Abstract

The cement industry plays critical role in any country's development and economic growth. Cement is extensively used in construction sector and infrastructural projects. Abundant raw material availability, infrastructure demands, urbanization, and recent government initiatives-Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) project and housing for all under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), India-stood at second place in cement-producing country in the world. Cement plants are emitting 15% of global pollutions into the environment among various industries. Cement industry byproducts include dust/particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), toxic gases (COx, NOx, SOx, CH4, and VOCs), noise, and heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Co, Pb, and Hg), which cause climate change, global warming, and health risks as well as negative impact on flora and fauna. The Terra, Aura, Sentinel-5P, GOSAT, and other satellite datasets allow estimation of cement industry major air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using regression models, artificial neural network-based models, machine learning models, and the tropospheric NO2 vertical column density (VCD) retrieval algorithm. This review article explores the evolution of the Indian cement industry, air pollutants from the cement industry, social and environmental implications, satellite datasets, models used for assessing air pollutants, and challenges for the long-term sustainability of the cement industry.