Displaying items by tag: UK

UK: CRH subsidiary Tarmac has awarded a contract for the supply of solid recovered fuel (SRF) pellets for its Tunstead cement plant to Eco-Power Environmental. The supplier says that the fuel will come from its 125,000t/yr Humberside SRF pellet plant in Melton, East Riding of Yorkshire. It has spent Euro17m in recent upgrades to the plant. Its pellets offer up to 50% biomass content, calorific value in excess of 20MJ/kg, less than 0.5% chlorine, low ash content and the ability to be co-dosed with fossil fuels using existing equipment.

Tarmac Tunstead plant manager Chris Bradbury said “Reducing CO₂ at Tunstead is one of the team's top priorities and working closely with our colleagues in Sapphire we have made good progress with sustainable waste-derived fuels throughout 2020 and hope to go further in 2021.” He continued, “We got the opportunity of trialling the SRF pellets early in the year as a replacement for woodchips. The trial went well with only a few modifications required for the inside of the storage silo and feed out system. Once the moderations were completed, we extended the trial, which had great results. In June 2020 we then went on to continuous usage and from the start the pellets have proved to be a very stable fuel. These have been one of the main contributors to the continuous high waste-derived fuel substitution rate for fossil fuels from June to the end of the year.”

UK: The RDF Industry Group has re-elected Netherlands-based Attero marketing manager Robert Corijn as its chair for 2021. The term will be Corijn’s fourth in the position. Totus Environmental managing director Andy Jones takes on the role of vice chair for a second consecutive year.

Corijn said “Since first taking up the role of chair of the RDF Industry Group in 2018 there have been significant challenges that have affected the RDF industry, and 2020 was no different, having seen the roll-out of the Dutch import tax and the Covid-19 pandemic. We are also seeing some countries developing carbon taxes on waste treatment or other import restrictions. The RDF Industry Group is a strong believer in European cooperation – when we all work together, Europe can move much more waste up the waste hierarchy. Moving waste from landfill to recycling and to energy-from-waste provides a huge contribution to carbon savings. Carbon emissions do not know national borders, so our group will ask policy makers across Europe to consider a global perspective. The group has also played a vital role in information sharing and supporting our members, and I look forward to continuing to work together in 2021 as we see the waste-derived fuel industry develop, and as any new relationship between the UK and the European Union (EU) begins.”

France: Vicat started using a CO₂ntainer system supplied by UK-based Carbon8 Systems at its Montalieu-Vercieu cement plant in November 2020. It uses captured CO₂ from the unit’s flue gas emissions to carbonate cement-plant dust and produce aggregate, which can then be used to make products such as concrete. The system has particular relevance for a plant burning alternative fuels due to the additional chlorinated dust created compared to the use of conventional fossil fuels. The company says it is the first European cement producer to use the process at an industrial scale. Previously, Carbon8 Systems said that its CO₂ntainer would process and convert up to 12,000t of cement bypass dust in its first phase of operation.

Vicat Group scientific director Laury Barnes-Davin said, “We were drawn to Carbon8 Systems’ two-part technology: capturing the CO₂ that Montalieu emits, and using it to produce an aggregate that can be marketed in the construction industry. It opens up great potential for our operations not just in France but also in all the countries where we work across the globe.” The group hopes to reach a 100% alternative fuel substitution rate in France by 2024.

UK: Solid recovered fuel (SRF) specialist Andusia has announced the signing of a supply contract for 10,000t/yr of SRF to “a cement plant in the Mediterranean.” The company said, “The deal only further reinforces Andusia’s position in the market as the UK’s largest independent exporter of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), SRF and, more recently, hazardous and clinical waste.”

UK: RDF Industry Group has convened a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) industry working group to meet on a fortnightly basis to discuss the sectoral impacts of coronavirus. The Group said that it ‘is working with competent authorities to ensure the free flow of RDF is maintained.’ It acknowledged that RDF supply is essential to European cement production, adding, “The flow of RDF from the UK to off-take facilities in Europe is continuing, with the industry overall functioning well.”

UK: Alternative fuels producer Andusia has said that the coronavirus has yet to impact upon the trade of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in and out of Europe. It says it is monitoring the situation and will keep customers updated. “No change to service is anticipated,” said Andusia. “There are no border restrictions to trade and it is business as usual.”

UK: Germany-based HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Hanson Cement will be the subject of a study in the use of biomass and hydrogen fuels coordinated by the Mineral Products Association. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is funding the Euro3.81m study, the results of which it says will be shared across the cement industry. HeidelbergCement CEO Dominik von Achten said, "In addition to our activities in the field of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS), this project is an important step towards realising our vision of carbon-neutral concrete by 2050.”

UK: Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) exports from England to decline by 13% to Europe fell by 13.4% year-on-year to 2.71Mt in 2019 from 3.09Mt in 2018. Waste recovery company Germinor reported the results of the survey from Footprint Services, which uses UK Environment Agency data. However, the report also said that exports of solid-recovered fuel (SRF) grew by 4%.

According to the Environment Agency data, the Netherlands remains the biggest importer of English waste-derived fuels (RDF and SRF), with 1.16Mt and 43% of the market in 2019. Sweden is the second biggest offtaker nation with 0.6Mt, followed by Germany at 0.4Mt and Denmark at 0.14Mt and Norway at 0.14Mt.

Geminor said that it led the list of waste-derived fuels exporters in 2019 with 0.31Mt in 2019. Biffa Waste Services was the second biggest exporter, followed by SUEZ UK and N&P Alternative Fuels.

Its UK country manager James Maiden said that 2019 was a challenging market for UK export, mostly due to issues surrounding Brexit, the Dutch temporary import restrictions and an increase in UK domestic capacity and facilities. He expected these conditions to continue into 2020, where the Dutch and Swedish tax announcements will impact on UK flows. Maiden said that the English export market is decreasing but that Geminor was balanced this with additional export volumes transported from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and internal UK flows.

UK: Austrian shredder producer Lindner has released details about the installation of a Polaris 1800 shredder on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel. The machine was installed in early 2019 on behalf of Island Waste, part of the Guernsey Recycling Group, to produce solid recovered fuels (SRF). Upon delivery challenges had to be overcome including limited availability of hoisting equipment. At present he shredder processes around 8t/hr of municipal waste into SRF.

UK: Helvellyn Group, a manufacturer of high energy, low impact solid fuels, has announced the official launch of its cement industry direct coal replacement product in Europe.

Helvellyn has chosen the Global Cemfuels Conference (Paphos, Cyprus 19 - 20 February 2020) as the location for the launch and will be sponsoring the event as well as attending in person.

Helvellyn solid fuels are designed to meet the needs of hard to adapt large industrial plants that are seeking to reduce, or even eliminate, their reliance on coal. The fuels are manufactured to replicate the physical and combustion properties of coal, while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with mining, transporting and burning fossil fuels.

This latest renewable coal replacement fuel has been developed to address the specific needs of cement producers, many of whom have already introduced alternative fuels but are now struggling to increase the ratio due to physical, chemical and technical constraints.

Helvellyn’s product allows operators to maintain their existing alternative fuel mix while, in most instances, adding Helvellyn fuel as a direct drop-in replacement for coal from the point of delivery through pre-combustion processing and in combustion.

The Helvellyn fuel for cement production is based on four core principals, high energy, low moisture, low chlorine and ease of handling. While exact fuel specification and presentation can be fine-tuned to meet the specific needs of a given plant, fuel is typically presented as 50mm hard, hydrophobic lumps with the following properties: energy >25kJ/kg (10,750btu/lb, 5.97kcal/kg); ash content <6%; moisture <2%; chlorine <0.07%; carbon >60%; sulphur <0.2%; nitrogen <0.4%.

Frank Harris, CEO of Helvellyn Group, said, “We are delighted to be launching this important product at the Global Cemfuels Conference 2020. The cement industry has shown innovation and leadership in utilising alternative fuels and we believe we can help them to meet the challenges of the next decade as they further reduce the environmental impact of their product. We are excited to meet with the industry and let it see our fuel for the very first time - it is like nothing they will have seen before.”