Using metal plates for measurement of cement dust emission

The manufacturing process of clinker makes the cement industry a great consumer of energy, in addition to causing air pollution such as emitting fine particles into the atmosphere and associated health problems. The objective of this work is to determine the level of dust particulate matters generated from one cement factory in the city of Chlef located in the north of Algeria. An experimental investigation on the dustfall is carried out using metal plates according to French standards on seven sampling sites. The results indicate that there exist very high levels of dust ranging from 5–20 g/m² per day, which exceed the acceptable threshold level in some stations, whereas the dust level is very low in some others. It is proposed that the thresholds defined by the French and British standards cater mainly for sites known for their wet and rainy climate and not for those in a hot and dry climate. In general, the amount of dustfall in all sets decreases as the precipitation increases during the exposure period. The results of this study highlight the influence of the hot and dry climatic conditions on cement dust emission.