The Role of the Cement Industry in the Municipal Waste Management of Developing Countries

Within the latter, a major aspect is the management of the produced household wastes. This situation is a big concern in South America. Different works have demonstrated the technical feasibility as well as the advantages of implementing the mechanical-biological treatment of wastes as part of their management in South American countries. One of these advantages is the recovery of a highcalorific materials fraction that may be used in intensive energy-demanding applications like the cement industry. This work presents the waste management situation in Chile and Brazil as examples of the South American reality, in terms of their possibilities to implement a coincineration process strategy. The cement industry situation in both countries is discussed, as well as its capacity and feasibility to become a partner with an important role in the national waste management concepts of these countries and for the South American region.