CEMEX's Knoxville Cement Operations Honored for Innovative Efforts to Reduce, Reuse & Conserve - CEMEX's Knoxville Cement Operations Honored for Innovative Efforts to Reduce, Reuse & Conserve - CEMEX USA

Houston, Texas - March 21, 2007

"This is one of the highest honors we can receive in our industry. The team at Knoxville should be commended for their continued dedication and commitment to the environment," said Gilberto Perez, President of CEMEX USA. "I am very proud of our team for this great achievement and encourage them to keep striving for innovative ways to be better stewards of our resources."

For several years, the CEMEX Knoxville, Tenn. has been successfully implementing programs to find ways to reduce NOx emissions. A few years ago, the CEMEX Process Technology team, led by Robin Forster, began using an old technology in a new way-injecting water into cement kiln's burner pipes to reduce NOx. Although the application was a proven method in the power industry for years, it had never been widely used in cement kilns. The team embarked on a series of massive tests and discovered that this technology not only worked in cement kilns but it worked exceptionally well and could reducing NOx by 15 percent. This discovery is a major reason the CEMEX Knoxville operations were selected for the Innovation Award.

The team has also identified new effective methods for reducing NOx further by using recycled water from refined oil available at oil collection centers. The discarded oil normally comes from automotive shops and other businesses, but the CEMEX team has found a way to extract the water and use it successfully in the water injection technology, not only conserving water, but also helping to reduce waste products. The oil was typically disposed of at a public treatment facility, but now has a new use and helps reduce the CEMEX plant's emissions.

"These programs have resulted in environmental benefits for the plant and the community. The CEMEX team came up with innovative solutions that help conserve, recycle, reduce, and also set a great example for the industry to follow," said Perez.

CEMEX is a growing global building solutions company that provides high quality products and reliable service to customers and communities in more than 50 countries throughout the world. CEMEX has a rich history of improving the well-being of those it serves through its efforts to pursue innovative industry solutions and efficiency advancements and to promote a sustainable future. For more information, visit www.cemexusa.com.

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