Displaying items by tag: waste

Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement has secured an agreement with Hyogo Prefecture for the future reception and processing of the prefecture’s waste from disasters such as earthquakes. The company says that the agreement will facilitate the rapid reception of such materials and to best support clean-up efforts.

President Hironori Morohashi said “We will continue to strengthen our cooperative relationship with Hyogo Prefecture and work to form a sustainable society and develop and improve the region.”

Japan: Austria-based Untha has awarded an exclusive distribution agreement in Japan to Axia. The distributor has taken delivery of a mobile Untha XR shredder for use as a demonstration unit at its customer sites and ordered six more models.

Axia CEO Kazunori Kawata said “China’s ban on waste plastic imports means Japan has sharpened up on its domestic recycling capabilities. The introduction of Untha’s engineering experience will really disrupt the market. Operators are starting to think differently about machine reliability, throughputs and lifecycle costs. As a nation, we must increase our productivity and capacity, and we need a different class of machine to be able to do this – one that is highly configurable, versatile and built to last. Output precision is also crucial.” He added “If Japan is to enhance its commitment to the environment, it is important that we seek to use energy efficient technologies within our waste and recycling facilities. Renowned globally for using 75% less energy than competitors’ diesel-hydraulic machines, the Untha XR shredder doesn’t just improve the net carbon impact of the process – it keeps fuel costs low, too. Some customers have been known to save US$135,000/yr in fuel costs alone.”

Russia: Holcim Russia has committed to realising a 15% CO₂ emissions reduction in its cement production between 2019 and 2030 to 475kg/t from 561kg/t. It plans to further reduce its cement’s CO2 emissions to 453kg/t by 2050, and to implement further measures to ensure its net carbon neutrality at that time.

Corporate relations director Vitaly Bogachenko said “The company's goal is to drastically reduce carbon emissions, and there are two working solutions for this. The first is the use of alternative fuels (AF) obtained from different types of waste: residues of municipal solid waste after sorting and extraction of all useful fractions from them, used tyres and others. The presence of biomass in them makes such fuels carbon neutral, so emissions during production are significantly reduced. The second solution is to replace carbon-intensive raw materials. For example, instead of limestone, we use slags. The recipe for the cement is completely different - thanks to the new composition and the lower temperature during the firing process, the carbon footprint in the production of cement is reduced.”

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.”

Philippines: Cemex Holdings Philippines has announced the signing of a partnership agreement for the supply of post-consumer plastic waste by foods producer Nestlé Philippines as fuel for co-processing in Cemex Holdings Philippines’ cement plants. The Manila Bulletin has reported that the deal is part of Nestlé’s efforts towards achieving zero packaging waste globally by 2025.

Cemex Holdings Philippines president and CEO Ignacio Mijares Elizondo said, “We recognise and gladly support Nestlé’s commitment to tackling plastic waste. Cemex and Nestlé have a shared vision to make a significant difference and contribute to the economic, social and environmental growth of the Philippines. A green environment will always be at the centre of Cemex Holdings Philippines’ ‘Build A Nation Together’ corporate social responsibility efforts. Our advocacies are dedicated to uplift lives and communities and to protect the environment.”

Spain: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim subsidiary Geocycle has commissioned an UNTHA XR3000C shredder at its Albox waste processing plant in Almeria. The 15,000t/yr shredder will process domestically-produced commercial and industrial waste, including oil- and solvent-contaminated textiles, plastics, paper and cardboard, into fuel suitable for co-processing at any of LafargeHolcim’s five Spanish cement plants. Geocycle Operations Manager Raúl Lannegrand said, “Co-processing is recognised by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Basel Convention and the European Commission as a practical, cost-efficient, safe and environmentally-preferred waste treatment method, so it was important for us to make the most of the landfill diversion opportunity we had identified in Spain.”

Poland: The Association of Cement Producers (SPC) has told the government that the cement industry generates 1.0% (Euro5.39bn) of annual gross domestic product (GDP) directly and 10% (Euro53.9bn) indirectly via construction and, as such, ought to be permitted to continue operations as a ‘necessary business’ under the terms of the country’s coronavirus lockdown. The SPC also said that the industry serves a crucial function in disposing of 11 - 12% (1.32 – 1.44Mt/yr) of Poland’s waste as fuel for cement production.

Poland has been on lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak since 11 March 2020.

Spain: Members of the Spanish cement association Oficemen have offered help to the government in the disposal of medical waste contaminated with the coronavirus, for which any kiln line with the right alternative fuel processing capabilities will be made available. Minister for Industry Reyes Maroto said that the plants will be used for waste’s elimination ‘only insofar as companies can continue operating.’

Germany: Dyckerhoff has installed a solid recovered fuel processer at Germany’s largest capacity cement plant in Deuna, Thuringia. Lindner has stated that it installed the production line, consisting of four Lindner shredders and developed by B+T Group, during the overhaul phase without disruption to Deuna’s 2.4Mt/yr capacity output. B+T will provide a constant supply of mostly pre-sorted non-recyclable post-consumer packaging and rubber and textile waste. This will feed Deuna’s rotary kilns with sustainably-sourced fuel at a rate of 720t/day.