Displaying items by tag: Mexico

Mexico: Cemex’s Torreón cement in Coahuila has concluded its first 100% alternative fuel (AF) trial run.

Chief process officer Gerardo Castilla said that the move is ‘A small step for Cemex but a big step for the world.’ He added “Let’s go for more.”

Mexico: Cemex has acquired waste management company Broquers Ambiental. The company manages the separation, recovery and treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in the city of Queretaro. MSW from the company will be used as an alternative fuel at Cemex’s local cement plants. This acquisition is part of its Future in Action program, aimed to achieve carbon neutrality.

“With this acquisition, at Cemex, we are firmly committed to the circular economy by integrating our value chain to the production of climate-friendly fuels that we use in cement production. Our objective for this year is to double Broquer´s capacity and thereby contribute to the progress towards sustainability in the city of Queretaro, as well as the transformation of Mexico towards a green economy,” said Ricardo Naya, President of Cemex Mexico.

Broquers expects to increase the current staff by 50 new employees in 2022 to expand its processing capacity. The waste management company was reportedly the first plant of its kind in Mexico to use waste separation equipment in line with European standards for waste treatment.

Mexico: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim’s US subsidiary Geocycle has signed an agreement with the City Council of Macuspana in Tabasco for the removal of 21,600t/yr of inorganic waste for sale to cement producers as alternative fuel (AF) for calciners. The company has inaugurated a US$1.3m waste processing plant for the purposes of meeting its commitment. Geocycle Mexico general director Sven Ritschard said, “This typifies the circular economy and is positive for all parties involved.” The waste would otherwise have gone to landfill.

Mexico: Geocycle Mexico processed 0.41Mt of industrial and municipal waste in 2018. The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim estimates that it will process around 0.46Mt in 2019. It supports the handling, treatment and co-processing of waste at LafargeHolcim’s cement plants.

Mexico: France’s Veolia has signed a deal with Cementos Moctezuma to build a US$4.8m waste processing unit in San Luis Potosí state. Once operational the unit will be able to process up to 40,000t/yr of industrial waste, according to the Expansión newspaper.

Mexico: Residents from El Refugio, Atotonilco de Tula have complained about the unauthorised burning of yires at Cementos Fortaleza’s El Palmar plant. The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources stopped tires being burned at the plant in February 2019 due to a lack of an impact study and an environmental licence, according to the El Universal newspaper. Residents allege that the plant has been burning tyres at night since the ban. They are concerned about health issues resulting from burning tyres.

Mexico: El Laboratorio de Investigación en Desarrollo Comunitario y Sustentabilidad (LIDECS) has raised the health risks from burning solid waste at cement plants in México state. Jorge Tadeo Vargas, part of the Faculty of Geography of the Autonomous University of Mexico State (UAEM) and a LIDECS representative highlighted the damage caused in Apaxco and Tlalnepantla in México and Hidalgo in Tula at a conference on the issue, according to the Milenio newspaper. Professor Brisa Carrasco of the UAEM Geography department also raised the issue of a lack of regulation and environmental and medical data on the subject.

Mexico: Holcim Mexico has spent US$5.5m on upgrades to allow co-processing alternative fuels at its Ramos Arizpe plant near Saltillo. The new alterntive fuels line will start operation by May 2018, according to the Vanguard newspaper. Rodolfo Montero Chacón, the general director of the subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, said that the 2.2Mt/yr plant has two kilns but it only uses one due to local demand. The plant currently operates a proudction capcity utilistation rate of 55%.

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.

Mexico: Ecoltec has rebranded as Geocycle Mexico as part of an exercise to unify the brand globally. The company will maintain its commitment to offer management solutions.

“We believe in a cleaner and healthier world without waste, a place where we can all reduce our environmental footprint. With Geocycle, we provide industrial companies and municipal governments with sustainable solutions for the proper management of waste,” said Miguel Ladrón de Guevara, Director General of Geocycle Mexico.

Geocycle, part of the LafargeHolcim Group, focuses on managing waste for co-processing at cement plants. The company has 2000 employees in 60 countries on five continents, which includes 188 co-processing facilities and 10,000 clients worldwide. It contributes to LafargeHolcim’s sustainable development vision, whose goal is to double the percentage of alternative fuels in its energy mix by 2020, which would mean a reduction of more than 30Mt of CO2 worldwide.