Potential emission risks of organic compounds from cement kilns

Changzhi Chen; Guorui Liu; Chenyan Zhao; Mingxuan Wang; Yujue Yang; Lili Yang; Minghui Zheng

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137270

Potential emission risks of organic compounds from cement kilns

J Hazard Mater. 2025 Jan 21:488:137270. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137270. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Changzhi Chen¹, Guorui Liu², Chenyan Zhao¹, Mingxuan Wang³, Yujue Yang³, Lili Yang⁴, Minghui Zheng⁵

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou 310000, China; College of Resource and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou 310000, China; Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resource and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resource and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: llyang@rcees.ac.cn.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resource and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.

PMID: 39864202
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137270

Abstract

The extensive application of cement kiln industry results in substantial stack gas emissions, posing a potential risk of discharging organic pollutants. Cement industry is not considered as a primary contributor to persistent organic pollutants like polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), owing to its extremely low emission factor. However, knowledge on the previously unrecognized chemicals that may possess higher emission factors from cement industry is lacking. In this study, non-target screening of pollutants from cement industries were conducted using gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Priority pollutants from cement industry were identified. Alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorobenzene were noteworthy pollutants from cement industry. By comparing the toxicity data and semi-quantitative of the pollutants, 9 chemical compounds, including 1-Methylphenanthrene, were identified as priority pollutants. The emission factors of these selected pollutants from cement industries were about 3-6 orders higher than PCDD/Fs, suggesting a potentially high risk of emission. The nationwide emission estimation indicates a significant release of approximately 300 kg of 1-Methylphenanthrene emanating from the cement industry, necessitating heightened attention. The results are helpful for comprehensive risk assessment of organic pollutants from cement industry.

Keywords: Alkylated PAHs; Cement kiln industry; Nationwide emission; Non-target screening; Priority pollutants.