Análisis de las emisiones ambientales y de la eficiencia energética de los hornos de las ladrilleras de Cuenca. Propuesta de límites referenciales de emisiones ambientales

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that brick making is one of the sectors with the highest environmental emissions in Canton Cuenca. One option that has been proposed since 2010, is the implementation of draft kilns; a project promoted by the GAD Municipal of Cuenca through the Environmental Management Commission. This type of kilns seeks to reduce gas emissions, improve the production process and the quality of life of the brick industry. Since its implementation, a baseline of combustion gases has been generated: carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOX), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate material. However, at the momento the behavior of the concentrations is unknown and therefore it is necessary to determine if, presently, the stipulations of the Ecuadorian Norm for emissions regulations are met. The objective of this work is to determine the pollutants emitted into the atmosphere and the energy efficiency between inverted and traditional kilns. For this, a carbon balance is made, where the amount of pollutants emitted is related to the amount of fuel burned. The measurements of the emissions have been made by the Department of Environmental Management of the city of Cuenca (CGA). The analysis of the gas emissions and the energy balance allowed to determine an efficiency higher than 10% in inverted draft kilns. It is expected that these results will allow to expand the use of more efficient kilns in the Cantón Cuenca brick industry.