Displaying items by tag: Refuse Derived Fuel

Netherlands: N+P has reached an agreement with provincial green energy fund Limburgs Energie Fonds (LEF) for Euro10.3m funding towards a new Euro14.3m Subcoal production plant in Farmsum, Limburg. The planned plant will process 170,000t/yr of non-recyclable waste into Subcoal for use as cement plant alternative fuel (AF). This will result in CO₂ emissions reductions of 110,000t/yr, according to the company.

N+P Europe regional managing director David Driessen said “The deal with LEF has made the construction of our new production facility possible. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic it wasn’t easy to discuss and negotiate with all parties involved. However, we managed to finalise and execute the agreement, and have immediately started the construction of our brand new facility. I am really proud that thanks to our joint efforts, we can look forward to commissioning the facility at the end of this year.”

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.

UK: Andusia says that a Covid-19 decline in waste produced by the UK is at an end, and has predicted the start of growth in the near term future. The waste management company said that major factors for growth will be the continuation of office work, the end of hospitality restrictions and the recovery of public confidence in consumption.

In 2020, commercial and industrial waste generation fell by 50% year-on-year, while municipal waste rose by 20%. Exports of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) fell by 37% during the year.

Portugal: Cimpor Cement plans to upgrade the kiln line of its Souselas cement plant in order to enable 60% refuse-derived fuel (RDF) substitution in its fuel mix. The producer has contracted Denmark-based FLSmidth to install chlorine bypass technology in order to prevent chlorine build-up in the plant’s flue gas. Work is scheduled to begin in mid-2021, and production will stop until its completion and the commissioning of the installation in early 2022.

Cimpor Cement project manager Paulo Evangelista said, “Investing in the chlorine bypass is a key step on our journey towards reducing our environmental footprint. On top of the obvious incentives to increase our fuel substitution, like lower CO₂ emissions and financial savings, we are experiencing better waste handling infrastructure in the local area. All this has made it an easy choice to make. FLSmidth knows our Souselas site and has been key in delivering a solution that will enable this next phase on our sustainability journey.”

Germany: Märker Zement has ordered a single-source alternative fuels (AF) storage and conveying system for its Harburg, Bavaria cement plant from Germany-based Beumer. The supplier says that the line will consist of a 700m pipe conveyor, silos, distribution equipment and a screen. It will be equipped with a BG OptiFeed screw weigh feeder. It will connect the preheater both to an existing warehouse and a new one at the site. The line will handle two different qualities of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and shredded tyres. It will be operated at a maximum capacity of 40t/hr. Commissioning is scheduled for 2022.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines, part of Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim, substituted 100,000t of refuse-derived fuel in its cement plants’ fuel mix in 2020. The Business World newspaper has reported that the figure represents a 41% year-on-year decrease from 170,000t in 2019. That year, the producer recorded 38 days of zero coal use. The company said that the reason for the decline was supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Iraq: Germany-based Eggersmann Group has commissioned a 1040t/day refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant in Sulaymaniyah municipality. The unit uses the company’s biological drying process to increase the yield of RDF from the municipal solid waste (MSW) it receives. Waste & Recycling Middle East and Africa previously reported that the plant can achieve a landfill diversion rate of 80%. A local cement producer will operate the facility and receive MSW from the region for a fee.

France: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge France has completed a Euro6m modernisation of the two waste processing lines at its Port-La-Nouvelle cement plant. The final phase of modernisation aimed at increasing dosing and injection capacities, optimising unloading, replacing fire detection and protection systems and expanding the control laboratory. The company said that the modernisation will enable it to use 80,000t/yr of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in cement production at the plant. It says that this will reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 30,000t/yr. As a result, the plant’s fossil fuel consumption will decline by 75% in 2021 and by 90% in 2022 compared to 2020 levels. Its long-term aim is to become Europe’s first fossil fuel-free cement plant.

Poland: The Polish Cement Producers Association (CPA) has warned of the possible effects of planned new environmental regulations on the cement industry’s supply of alternative fuel (AF). New regulations from the Ministry of Climate and Environment could potentially ban the use of some common fractions of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) at cement plants. The association says that this may precipitate a fuel shortage for cement producers for years to come. In 2020, Polish cement plants used 1.6Mt of RDF. The association added that RDF production for cement plants diverts 10% of total municipal waste from landfill.

CPA chair Krzysztof Kieres said, “The cement industry contributes to both saving natural resources and improving the quality of the environment, including by reducing the amount of waste deposited in landfills.”

The association said that the Polish cement industry has invested Euro2.23bn in modernisation since 1990, in large part in kiln line upgrades to reach its current AF substitution rate of 70%. Its AF substitution target is currently 90%.

India: The Indian Army has commissioned a 5t/day waste-to-fuel processing plant in Ambala Cantonment, Haryana. The Times of India newspaper has reported that the plant will produce refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for cement plants from various waste fractions. The total investment cost of the facility was around US$100,00.