Think sustainably, act responsibly

WHEN THE FOUNDATION STONE FOR THE WIETERSDORF CEMENT PLANT WAS LAID MORE THAN 125 YEARS AGO, NOBODY COULD HAVE GUESSED THAT THE PLANT WOULD BE ONE OF THE CLEANEST IN THE WORLD TODAY. THROUGH TARGETED INVESTMENTS FOR THE FUTURE, THE FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS HAS MANAGED TO TURN ITS PARENT PLANT INTO A MODEL COMPANY. Ten years ago, w&p Zement marked the start of a whole series of environmental investments at the Wietersdorf location with the construction of a sulfur dioxide reduction system. Since 2015, our patented X-Mercury system has also brought a drastic reduction in mercury emissions – a whole 80 percent. The next milestone followed in 2017, with the construction of the afterburning system (RTO: Regenerative Thermal Oxidization) and the integration of a highly efficient dust filter system and new exhaust gas control system. The new plant succeeded in reducing emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) by more than 90 percent from day one. This is made possible by briefly heating the entire exhaust gas flow to 850 degrees Celsius. In 2017, w&p Zement also invested in the optimization of its SNCR (Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction) plant in Wietersdorf to cut nitrogen oxide emissions. HYDROPOWER AND CO 2 NEUTRAL FUELS REDUCE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT Naturally, fuels play a key role in cement production. w&p Zement is also working on this key aspect and in mid-2019 presented the results of a two-year trial operation in which the proportion of CO 2 neutral fuels such as wood chips or biogenically enriched waste among its fuel substitutes was increased. The results of the trial operation speak for themselves: 12,000 tons of CO 2 can be saved each year thanks to the optimized composition. Despite the fact that the Austrian cement industry already has the lowest CO 2 emissions in global terms, Wietersdorf still manages to reduce its CO 2 balance to significantly outperform the Austrian average. A 10 million euro investment to expand the hydroelectric power plants around Wietersdorf is the latest step taken by the family business for a more sustainable future. From the end of 2021, 25 percent of the cement plant’s energy supply is planned to be covered by ‟green electricity” from the company’s own hydroelectric power plants. Two new power plants are being built for this purpose, while another one was refurbished three years ago. ONE OF THE CLEANEST CEMENT & CONCRETE WIETERSDORFER | THINK SUSTAINABLY ACT RESPONSIBLY