Displaying items by tag: UK

UK: Mexico-based Cemex has inaugurated the Climafuel unit at Rugby cement plant. Climafuel is a waste derived fuel which is made using domestic and commercial waste. The upgrade is intended to allow the cement plant to operate at a 100% alternative fuels (AF) substitution rate. This is the first Cemex plant to be able to do this.

Sergio Menéndez, the President of Cemex Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia, said, “With the completion of this considerable development, we have set new records in alternative fuel substitution, the highest of any of our plants and eventually expect to phase out completely the usage of fossil fuels at the plant. We expect the Rugby plant to be a model for other Cemex cement plants around the world.”

UK: Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and solid recovered fuel (SRF) exports from the UK were 1.6Mt in the financial year which ended on 31 March 2022, down by 2.3% year-on-year from 2021 financial year levels. Waste management consultant Footprint Services reported that March 2022 RDF and SRF exports were 136,000t, down by 23% year-on-year from 176,000t in March 2021. Geminor exported 29,200t of RDF and SRF during the month, constituting a 22% market share. Its full-year exports in the 2022 financial year were 280,000t.

Geminor UK country manager James Maiden forecast that the decline in UK RDF and SRF exports is beginning to level off at a volume between 1Mt/yr and 1.5Mt/yr from the 2023 financial year.

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.”

UK: Netherlands-based N+P has acquired the Crayford Material Recycling Facility (MRF) in South-East London from Viridor for an undisclosed sum. The facility processes 330,000t/yr of dry mixed recyclables from Greater London, the South and South-East of the UK. It employs 260 people.

This is the third acquisition by N+P since it started a strategic partnership with commodities trading company Mercuria in April 2021 and more are planned. N+P has invested Euro90m in the UK in 2021 and it plans to invest the same amount in 2022. This is part of the company’s overall Euro239m investment between 2021 and 2022. The key driver of this expansion is to accelerate the production of N+P’s alternative fuel product Subcoal. N+P plans to increase throughput at Crayford to 500,000t/yr and it wants to add 13 alternative fuel production plants to its operations in Europe by 2026, producing over 5Mt/yr of alternative fuels per year.

“N+P’s rationale for acquiring the London location is driven by the company’s desire to expand production in locations throughout the UK and diversify its activities. Ultimately, having both an alternative fuel production location as well as a MRF operation at the same location optimises the complete value chain for waste. N+P believes the non-recyclable waste fraction can play a significant role in the transition to cleaner future proof energy sources,” said Stijn Jennissen, the chief commercial officer at N+P.

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.”

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.

Spain: UK-based Andusia has successfully completed its first delivery of solid recovered fuel (SRF) from its Beaupark Associated Waste Management SRF plant in Leeds, West Yorkshire to a cement plant in Spain. The supplier says that the delivery marks the start of the supply of 5000t/yr to the plant. The fuel will replace a portion of the coal and petcoke in the plant’s kiln line.

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.

UK: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries has launched a Euro15.1m project to increase its use of alternative fuels at its Cauldon cement plant in Staffordshire. The company plans to install a 100,000t/yr pre-processing unit and a new chlorine bypass at the site. The new pre-processing unit, including a haulage and feeding platform, will be built across the road from the main plant and connected via an enclosed conveyor. The company intends to complete the work in early 2022. It says that it will result in a 30,000t/yr CO₂ emission reduction.

Chief executive officer Dragan Maksimovic said, “It is great to see us continuing to recognise the importance of sustainability and investing in Cauldon cement plant to ensure that we further reduce carbon emissions and remain sustainable for the long term, both as a local employer and contributor to the local economy, as well as a UK-wide supplier of high quality products and services.”

UK: Bunting has officially opened its Redditch magnetic separators plant following a production and storage capacity expansion. The upgrade increases floor space by 50%. It also adds a new office floor and a Customer Experience Centre, where mining, processing and recycling companies can send samples to a laboratory for controlled tests.

Europe regional managing director Simon Ayling said, “Despite delays and challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we now have a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, which is already providing the additional space needed to fulfil the growth in orders.”