Displaying items by tag: woodchips

US: National Cement Company of Alabama has reported that the new kiln line at its Ragland cement plant will reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions by 40%. Its energy consumption will also fall by 30% as a result of the upgrade. The new line includes a 78m-high homogenisation silo, vertical crusher, five-stage preheater and automated clay storage system. AF used in the kiln will include waste tyres, woodchip and sawdust. The new kiln will help in the Ragland cement plant’s transition to 100% Portland limestone cement (PLC) production by 2023, further diminishing its carbon footprint.

Vicat CEO Guy Sidos said "Our ambition is to use AF in all our cement plants around the world. In addition to eliminating fossil fuel energy and replacing it with recycled regional waste, our investments contribute directly to local development. We are proud of the modernisation and transformation of our Ragland site, which was our very first acquisition outside France in 1974."

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.”

Namibia: Ohorongo Cement has supported Carbo Namibia, one of its charcoal suppliers, in buying a new 80m3 side tipper truck worth around US$47,000. The move is intended to increase the volumes of charcoal fines the supplier can deliver. The cement producer uses charcoal fines as an alternative fuel at its plant.

It started procuring charcoal fines from Carbo Namibia in 2016 through the Ohorongo Energy for Future (EFF) project. It started with an initial supply of 786t/yr and has since grown to 5000t/yr in 2018, with a total of 11,000t to date. Its overall alternative fuels substitution rate is 42.7% and it has a target of 56% by 2020 and a long-term goal of reaching 80%. At present Ohorongo Cement says that its substitution rate breaks down into 58% woodchips, 28% refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and 14% charcoal.

UAE: Cement plants in Ras Al Khaimah are using camel dung as alternative fuel. Saif Al Ghais, director of the Environment Protection and Development Authority in Ras Al Khaimah, said that cement plants in the emirate are co-processing a mixture of camel waste, wood waste and refuse-derived fuel, according to the Khaleej Times newspaper. The emirate is also considering using cooking oil in its cement plants. The initiative is part of the country’s national recycling and sustainability strategy.

Namibia: Ohorongo Cement’s plant at Walvis Bay has had an alternative fuels substitution rate of 40% for the last six months of 2018. Local recycling company Rent-A-Drum said that it has been supplying waste fuels to the plant, according to the Namibia Economist newspaper. As well as fuels from domestic waste the plant is using wood chips and charcoal dust in its kiln.

Nigeria: Lafarge Africa has raised its capacity to use alternative fuels at its Ewekoro 1 cement plant to a substitution rate of 50%. Its Sagamu plant has the capacity to operate a substitution rate of up to 25%. Its alternative fuels sources include locally sourced palm kernel shells, woodchips, tyres and refuse. It is unclear whether or not the plants will be able to make use of this capacity in the near term.

“Our energy optimisation plan has proved successful with increased use of alternative fuel to offset gas shortages. Ewekoro 1 plant migrated from 100% reliance on gas and low pour fuel oil (LPFO) to about 40% use of alternative fuels at the plant,” said Michel Puchercos, the chief executive officer of Lafarge Africa in the group’s results for the fourth quarter of 2016.

The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim plans to use alternative fuels at all of its Nigerian cement plants by 2018. Ewekoro 2 will be utilising alternative fuels, Ashaka will be using alternative fuels and coal and Mfamosing is expected to be using petcoke and alternative fuels.