The cement industry is a significant contributor to global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. To reduce these emissions, the industry is increasingly utilizing solid urban waste as an alternative fuel in cement kilns. This initiative not only seeks to reduce environmental impacts but also addresses critical waste management challenges. This paper seeks to develop a comprehensive logistics system that optimizes the cost-benefit ratio associated with processing, transporting, and utilizing urban waste as fuel across ten cement plants. By expanding the network to include additional facilities, the research builds up operational efficiency and maximizes the reduction of CO₂ emissions. A deterministic mathematical model is proposed to minimize logistics costs while addressing the complexities of waste processing and transportation.

In this project, we collaborate with a cement company that receives urban waste from the government, which is utilized as fuel to minimize both landfill waste and CO₂ emissions. The cement plants possess the necessary capacities to process this waste; however, the logistics have traditionally been managed manually. To escalate efficiency, we have been developing a mathematical model designed to minimize logistics costs and emissions through deterministic and multi-objective techniques. This model systematically considers fixed demand and the capacities of both processing and transportation.

Furthermore, the company operates five plants for the separation and processing of waste, which can either be sent to two government-sanctioned landfills or dispatched to four cement plants for use as fuel in clinker production. Given the substantial volume of waste, the decision was made to incorporate six additional plants located further away to maximize waste utilization and improve overall operational efficiency.

Jenny Díaz Ramírez

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Logistics Optimization for the Use of Solid Urban Waste as Fuel in Cement Production: An Approach Based on Operations Research and Scenario Analysis