Displaying items by tag: RDF

UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has announced the successful completion of a trial of cement production using a net-zero fuel mix consisting of hydrogen and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) at Hanson’s Ribblesdale, Lancashire, cement plant. The RDF in the mix consists of meat and bone meal (MBM) from the food industry and glycerol from biodiesel production.

Increased alternative fuel (AF) substitution is one of seven key levers in the MPA’s Roadmap Beyond Net Zero emissions reduction strategy. The association says that the fuel will eliminate 180,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions from the Ribblesdale plant’s operations when fully implemented. The project received Euro3.71m in government funding.

Hanson’s environmental sustainability manager Iain Walpole said “We are delighted to be involved with this world-leading project, which is a further example of our commitment to cutting CO₂ emissions.” He added “It will also contribute to our ambition of supplying net zero carbon concrete by 2050.”

Netherlands: Waste management service N+P has said that it will aim to supply 1.2Mt of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to UK recipients expected to include cement producers. It will release full details of the contracts in question in early 2020. N+P said that due to import tax it would seek to supply its Netherlands contracts with waste from sources other than the UK.

India: Waste-processing company Green Worms has won a contract for landfill extraction, refuse-derived fuel (RDF) processing and transportation to cement plants from the town authority of Fort Kochi in Kerala. The New Indian Express newspaper has reported that recyclable material will be removed before the waste is processed into fuel. “89% of waste is recyclable. But the rest can be converted into RDF,” said Green Worms project manager Thajudeen Abubacker.

Spain: Brazilian-based Votorantim Cimentos’ subsidiary Cemento Cosmos has received authorisation for the combustion of tyres to fuel the kilns at its 1.6Mt/yr Toral de los Vados plant in León. Diario del León has reported that the government of Castile and León will complete bureaucratic procedures finalising the permit before 25 December 2019.

US: NuCycle Energy, which processes post-industrial materials, primarily packaging, into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for cement kilns has started work on an upgrade aimed at expanding its Plant City plant’s capacity to 90,000t/yr. WasteAge has reported that Cemex USA, whose South-Eastern operations are supplied with substitute fuel by NuCycle, is considering an expansion to its relationship with NuCycle Energy. “We are exploring replicating this successful experience at the rest of our cement kilns, nationwide,” said Cemex USA corporate fuels manager Eduardo Pons.

Spain: Germany’s HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary FYM is now burning over 50% refuse-derived fuel (RDF) mixes in the kilns at its 1.6Mt/yr integrated Málaga plant in Andalucía. Sur has reported that the RDF consists of car parts, including tyres, and pomace from olive oil production.

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.

Poland: Figures from the Polish Cement Producers’ Association (SPC) have shown a 30% reduction in specific CO2 emissions over the 30-year period from 31 December 2019 to the projected figure for 31 December 2019 due to the co-processing of alternative fuels (AFs) by cement producers in the country. It estimated a total cost of investments of Euro2.34bn but said that further developments would be slowed in the absence of governmental action to raise electricity and emissions costs for more pollutant competitors.

Lafarge Poland leads the pack in terms of AF substitution, meeting 75% of its fuel needs (0.4Mt/yr) with prepared unrecyclable refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The company says it will increase this figure to 0.5Mt/yr in 2022. Speaking of the planned 25% increase, Lafarge Poland president Xavuer Guesnu said “Concrete and cement products need not be a problem, but rather a solution to contemporary challenges both urban and climatic.” The LafargeHolcim subsidiary operates a 0.2Mt/yr RDF processing plant at its 2.0Mt/yr integrated Kujawy w Blelawach cement plant.

Kenya: 58% LafargeHolcim subsidiary Bamburi Cement has set out an ambitious alternative fuel plan. In a statement, it said that it would aim to use 30% biomass-derived fuel in cement kilns at its 1.1Mt/yr integrated Mombasa plant. The figure currently stands at 12%. Municipal waste and tyres were among other fuel sources targeted for substitution. In a first step towards achieving this, Bamburi Cement has signed a supply agreement with the Port of Mombasa for confiscated cargoes.

Since 26 September 2019, Bamburi has received waste fuel oil from Shell petrol stations across Kenya via its subsidiary Geocycle at a rate of 240t/yr. In co-processing the oil, Bamburi is helping dispose of some of the 60,000t of waste petroleum produced in Kenya annually. Afrik21 has reported that, with an expenditure of US$5.8m in 2018, alternative fuel substitution is an attempt by the company to reduce untenable operating costs, notably including electricity costs of US$87/MWh. “Bamburi is looking at more partnerships for the disposal of various types of waste as we work to contribute to environmental conservation as part of our sustainability ambitions,” said Bamburi Cement managing director Seddiq Hassani.

Italy: Geminor began exporting refuse-derived fuel (RDF) by freight train from its RDF-processing plant in Naples to Aalborg Portland Cement’s 2.1Mt/yr Rørdal integrated cement plant in October 2019. Geminor Germany and Italy Country Manager Andreas Hefler stated that the conveyance of 10,000t/yr of RDF in trainloads of 400t, though not significantly time-saving, represented an efficient and sustainable alternative to shipping and trailers. “We hope that others in the waste industry follow suit in transporting by electric train,” said Hefler.