Displaying items by tag: Geocycle

Argentina: Holcim Argentina achieved 8.4% alternative fuel (AF) substitution in its cement production in its cement production in 2021. That year, it reduced its CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious material by 4.2% compared to 2017, to 505kg/t from 527kg/t.

Waste management partner Geocycle processed 140,000t of waste in 2021, up by 20% from 2020 levels. This included 4000t of waste tyres, which alone eliminated 2300t of CO₂ emissions. Geocycle inaugurated Argentina’s first municipal solid waste (MSW) classification facility in Córdoba in November 2021.

Argentina: Geocycle plans to double the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production capacity of its Piedra Blanca waste management plant in Córdoba in order to process up to 100,000t/yr of waste into RDF. The Holcim subsidiary will invest US$5m in the expansion. The plant received 78,600t of industrial waste, 57,000t of urban waste and 4400t of waste tyres in 2021 and produced RDF for co-processing in Holcim Argentina’s Jujuy, Malagueño and Mendoza cement plants’ cement production. The work includes the construction of a new 200m access road using EcoPact reduced-CO₂ concrete. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2022.

General manager Mariano Bollo said "We started in 2020 with a small plant. In 2021 we expanded it, and in 2022 we are doubling its capacity. In the coming months and years, we will grow even more.” Bollow expressed his hope to process 100% of all waste received at the site into RDF.

India: ACC and Ambuja Cements have together installed a Geocycle Bubble Barrier plastic waste separator in Bhakra Beas Management Board Lake at Sunder Nagar, Himachal Pradesh. The installation will collect the waste for use as refuse-derived fuel at ACC’s Gagal cement plant in the state.

The Holcim India subsidiaries’ first such installation, on the Mantola Canal in Uttar Pradesh, has collected 500t of plastic waste since its commissioning in April 2021, and is targetting a total of 2400t in 2022.

Holcim India CEO and managing director Neeraj Akhoury said "We are committed to building a sustainable future by adopting clean and green technologies. Our efforts and expertise in co-processing has created a unique solution to sustainable disposal of the marine plastic waste that creates pollution. This initiative will also contribute towards promoting circular economy. Taking this mission ahead, we will continue our efforts to implement this innovative technology across the country."

Philippines: Holcim Philippines says that its waste management partner Geocycle processed 200,000t of biomass and industrial and municipal waste into alternative fuels (AF) and raw materials for use in its cement production in 2021.Global Cement previously reported that Holcim Philippines co-processed 100,000t of AF in 2020. The company is targeting 70% AF substitution in all of its cement production.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines and its waste management subsidiary Geocycle have together inaugurated a waste processing plant and alternative fuels (AF) storage facility at the former’s Bulacan cement plant. The facilities consist of municipal solid waste (MSW) shredding equipment and a 5400m² warehouse. The installation is part of a US$2.41m investment by Holcim Philippines in the Bulacan plant, aimed at reducing its CO₂ footprint and increasing the circularity of its operations. The plant will produce its AF from MSW from the Boac municipality.

President and CEO Horia Adrian said “This initiative is part of our bigger commitment to make our operations more sustainable. These facilities will further reduce our carbon footprint and energy costs, while providing our partners with a safe and environmentally sound waste management option though our co-processing technology. We are excited to continue these projects to help us get closer to our long-term ambition of using 70% AF in cement production, instead of coal."

Costa Rica: Geocycle Costa Rica has commissioned a XR3000C type shredder supplied by Austria-based Untha. The unit will be used to process locally sorted municipal solid waste (MSW) and hazardous and non-hazardous Industrial Solid Waste (ISW) into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for use at Holcim Costa Rica’s integrated cement plant.

“Having worked with Untha in other countries, the XR3000C was chosen for its flexibility, high-capacity and single step alternative fuel capabilities. We also knew it would be supported by a world-class engineering team,” said Geocycle’s general manager Wilkie Mora Bolanos.

Geocycle is the waste processing subsidiary of Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim. There are currently over 20 Untha shredders in operation in Geocycle facilities worldwide.

Canada: Holcim subsidiaries Geocycle Canada and Lafarge Canada have signed a long-term partnership agreement with British Columbia’s Capital Regional District. Under the agreement, the district administration will supply Geocycle Canada with biosolids from treated wastewater. The waste management company will then process the waste into cement fuel at Lafarge Canada’s integrated cement plant at Richmond in British Columbia. The plant will process 6000t/yr of biosolids.

India: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim’s waste management subsidiary Geocycle has delivered a consignment of 10t of plastic waste from the River Jojari in Rajasthan to its processing plants at local cement plants run by ACC and Ambuja Cement. Geocycle has partnered with Rekart Innovations with the aim of clearing 150t of plastic waste from the river. The partnership will also undertake restoration of riverine habitats.

LafargeHolcim India chief executive officer Neeraj Akhoury said, "We are committed to building a sustainable future by adopting clean and green technologies. Geocycle India has been part of many initiatives and has helped both Ambuja and ACC cement to make use of waste from the different industrial sectors by getting closer to achieve the Net Zero Waste goal. Geocycle's vast co-processing infrastructure guarantees safe and environmentally friendly final treatment of the collected waste."

Nigeria: The Lagos State Waste Management Agency has praised the work of LafargeHolcim’s waste management subsidiary Geocycle following a tour of its plant in Ewekoro. Daniel Adedokun, the head of Geocycle - Lafarge Africa, said that the company is preparing to open additional processing units at the cement producer’s Ashaka and Mfamosing plant, according the Punch newspaper. In a statement Lafarge Africa said that Geocycle was Nigeria’s first full-fledged professional waste management service provider that collected waste and converted it to the energy required to convert it into an alternative fuel.

UAE: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Geocycle UAE has extended its reduction cell pot lining supply contract with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) by 10 years. Emirates News Agency has reported that during the contract’s previous term EGA supplied Geocycle UAE with 160,000t of spent pot lining for use in production at LafargeHolcim cement plants. The partners already plan to transport a further 40,000t of pot lining from aluminium production in 2021 and 2022, both to Geocycle and directly as pre-processed material to LafargeHolcim’s Fajairah cement plant. EGA began spent pot lining processing at its new Al Taweelah pot lining crushing facility in 2020.

Geocycle UAE general manager Medhat Ismail said, "At Geocycle UAE and LafargeHolcim, our vision of enabling a circular economy starts with the preservation of natural resources by substituting fossil fuels and raw materials with waste or by-products. We aim to bring society a step closer to a zero-waste future. To achieve this goal, we need progressive partners such as EGA."