Displaying items by tag: Refuse Derived Fuel

Panama: Cemex has secured a supply of 30t/yr of industrial waste for use at its Panamanian cement plant from US-based industrial conglomerate 3M. The waste will consist of high-calorific residual foam and wool.

Cemex South, Central America and the Caribbean regional president Jesús González said “We are very pleased to make this alliance that strengthens our company’s path towards our carbon neutrality goal by 2050. Cemex and the building materials industry can play an important role in the creation of a truly circular economy. As evidenced by this agreement, we welcome this challenge and are moving aggressively to create the better circular world of the future.”

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.

Norway: Geminor processed 67% of waste that it handled in 2021 into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and solid recovered fuel (SRF). The company said that the figure represents a 3% decline from 2020 levels. It handled a total of 1.73Mt of waste in nine European countries in 2021.

CEO Kjetil Vikingstad said “The Covid year 2021 has been another challenging year for the European waste industry in terms of volumes, logistics, transport and varying market mechanisms. The RDF market, in particular, has differed with lower volumes in circulation due to reduced exports from countries such as the UK and Finland. At the same time, other countries - such as Poland, Denmark, and Italy - have experienced growth, which has helped obtain a balance in the market.”

Colombia: Cementos Argos says that it processed 20,000t of waste into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in 2021. The RDF replaced some of the fossil fuels in its cement plants’ fuel mixes. During the year, the company also increased its total volume of tyres used as fuel by 48%.

Honduras: Cementos Argos is investing US$23m on various projects including increasing its alternative fuels substitution rate. The cement producer is targeting a 12% refuse-derived fuel (RDF) substitution rate by 2030, the equivalent of 5500t/yr. If reached, this will reduce the company’s carbon footprint in the country by 14%. The company says it has also co-processed 1.5m waste tyres in Honduras. It has now signed a partnership agreement with Fundesur and Fundación Herco for the collection and delivery of 5,000 tires/month in Choluteca for co-processing.

Other projects Cementos Argos is working on include increasing the production capacity of its Piedras Azules cement plant and increasing the plant’s use of solar energy.

Taiwan: Taiwan Cement has commenced the construction of a US$143m waste processing plant and ecopark at its 1.6Mt/yr Hualien cement plant. Japan-based Kawasaki Heavy Industries provided the design for the facility and visitor attraction. When commissioned, the plant will supply the Hualien cement plant with 200t/day of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) produced from municipal solid waste from Hualien. Taiwan Cement estimates that the move will eliminate 40,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions from the plant’s operations.

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.”

Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement subsidiary Hachinohe Cement has announced that it will be receiving heavy oil and woodchips from cargo washed ashore from the wreck of a ship at Hachinohe port on 11 August 2021. The company plans to use the waste as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for cement production at its cement Hachinohe cement plant. The company said that the oil spill from the incident has had a great impact on the region. It added “In the future, we would like to actively promote the acceptance of wreckage with heavy oil attached and cooperate in the early resolution of the situation.”

UK: Andusia has exported 1.6Mt of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and solid-recovered fuel (SRF) since its foundation in early 2012. The company said that the waste has not only been diverted from UK landfill but has generated power for people in northern mainland Europe. Exports rose following the lift of Covid-19 trade restrictions. Andusia added that it has since then secured several new contracts.

China: E-cigarette producer RLX Technology has announced a planned investment of US$3.10m in a used vape pod recycling scheme. The company will supply the plastic waste for use as an alternative fuel (AF) in cement production. It has partnered with the China Siyuan Foundation for Poverty Alleviation to supply the cement produced to infrastructure projects in rural areas.

CEO Kate Wang said “As one of the most essential materials for infrastructure, cement is key to the rural economy. Thus, RLX Technology plans to donate the cement to build roads, bridges and clean lavatories to improve the life of rural citizens.”

RLX Technology will launch vape pod collection in Beijing in September 2021, followed by 10 other cities before February 2022.