Displaying items by tag: LafargeHolcim

France: LafargeHolcim has launched a Euro100m upgrade to build a new clinker production line at its Martres cement plant in Tolosane. Construction work on the new line will start in the third quarter of 2018 and will be completed in mid-2020. A key feature of the upgrade will be a focus on using alternative fuels in the new kiln, particularly tyres. Following the project’s completion the plant will have a substitution rate of 80% from 30% at present.

Colombia: Holcim Colombia says it will stop burning ‘toxic’ waste as an alternative fuel at its Nobsa cement plant following a campaign by environmental activitists. The cement producer has stopped burning plastics at the plant, according to HSB News. However, initial complaints were leveled at the use of pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial waste as fuels.

Mexico: Geocycle operations based in Colima and Veracruz have received the ‘Environmental Excellence 2017’ award given by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) through the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (PROFEPA). The award is the maximum recognition granted by PROFEPA to companies that demonstrate continuous improvement in their ecological performance, a commitment to environmental preservation and social responsibility with their surroundings.

"At Geocycle Mexico we have an on-going commitment to sustainable development, not only with our co-processing solution for industrial waste management, but also in our daily operations. We are aligned to a global vision, with strict levels to reduce and control our carbon footprint, and proud to say that as a company we are contributing to a better future," said Miguel Ladron de Guevara, director of Geocycle Mexico.

Geocycle, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, supports its parent company’s alternative fuels strategy around the world. LafargeHolcim runs cement plants at Orizaba in Veracruz and Tecoman in Colima.

Uganda: Geocycle has officially launched its presence in Uganda. The waste management subsidiary of LafargeHolcim will collect and burn waste fuels in the kilns of local cement producer Hima Cement, according to the Daily Monitor newspaper. At present Geocycle coordinates the management and use of agricultural waste fuels for Hima Cement, including coffee husks, rice husks, bagasse, palm kernels and sawdust. It has also started working with the Fort Portal Municipality to source municipal waste streams.

Nigeria: Lafarge Africa has reported a record alternative fuels substitution rate of up to 46% at its Ewekoro cement plant. The cement producer reported that its energy optimisation strategy achieved strong performance compensating for gas shortages at a relatively low cost. It added that made progress during the first quarter of 2017 towards initial alternative fuels conversion work at its Mfamosing line II at Ashaka Cement.

Nigeria: Lafarge Africa has raised its capacity to use alternative fuels at its Ewekoro 1 cement plant to a substitution rate of 50%. Its Sagamu plant has the capacity to operate a substitution rate of up to 25%. Its alternative fuels sources include locally sourced palm kernel shells, woodchips, tyres and refuse. It is unclear whether or not the plants will be able to make use of this capacity in the near term.

“Our energy optimisation plan has proved successful with increased use of alternative fuel to offset gas shortages. Ewekoro 1 plant migrated from 100% reliance on gas and low pour fuel oil (LPFO) to about 40% use of alternative fuels at the plant,” said Michel Puchercos, the chief executive officer of Lafarge Africa in the group’s results for the fourth quarter of 2016.

The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim plans to use alternative fuels at all of its Nigerian cement plants by 2018. Ewekoro 2 will be utilising alternative fuels, Ashaka will be using alternative fuels and coal and Mfamosing is expected to be using petcoke and alternative fuels.

Spain: Geocycle has increased the amount of waste it processes at its Albox plant in Almeria by 35% year-on-year to 40,150t in 2016. Solid and liquid waste is processed at the plant for subsequent use at cement plants operated by LafargeHolcim. The plant employs 35 workers directly and supports about 100 indirect jobs locally. Geocycle plans to invest around Euro250,000 in 2017 on safety and environmental systems and on its laboratory.

US: Univar, a global chemical distributor, has reached a milestone in its sustainability efforts, by shipping 0.45Mt of alternative fuels from its waste chemical business, ChemCare, to Systech Environmental Corporation, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, for use at cement plants since 1989.

"Systech has been reusing industrial waste as fuel and raw material in the cement industry for almost 40 years. Our partnership with Univar and ChemCare is the epitome of matching company assets and expertise with a mutual interest in sustainability to achieve this incredible milestone," said Shawn McMullen, chief operating officer, Systech.

ChemCare provides a waste management service that collects both hazardous and non-hazardous waste products at customer locations in the US and Canada, and then works with partners in the waste disposal business to safely transport these materials to licensed third-party treatment, storage and disposal facilities.

Romania: Holcim Romania has created a company to ‘test the digital environment’ called Start Casa Visio. The start-up has been made in conjunction with the cement producer’s energy-from-waste arm Geocyce, according to the Ziarul Financiar newspaper. Other than saying that it was not an online store Holcim Romania would not disclose any further information about the aims of the new business venture.

Canada: A scheme to use coffee packs at Lafarge Canada’s Kamloops cement plant has ended following the mothballing of the site. Lafarge Canada and Van Houtte Coffee Services had an arrangement to use leftover Keurig coffee packs collected in the Kamloops area as an alternative fuel for the plant, according to the Province newspaper. However, Lafarge Canada announced that it was mothballing the plant in October 2016 due to poor market conditions. Up to 26 workers may lose their jobs. Van Houtte is looking for a new site to place the programme.