Ireland: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a new date of 2 December 2020 for the hearing of objections against Irish Cement’s refuse-derived fuel (RDF) substitution plans at its Limerick plant. It was postponed from May 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Irish Examiner newspaper. The hearing will take place remotely due to local coronavirus-related social distancing rules.

Irish Cement received its preliminary licence to burn up to 90,000t/yr of RDF at its Limerick plant in September 2019. However, the agency has allowed an oral hearing due to local feeling on the matter. In a separate incident the integrated plant was previously fined Euro4000 for dust emissions in late 2018.

Germany: Vecoplan has launched the VRZ 2500 shredder and the VPC 1600 pre-shredder, which can be combined with the VHZ single-shaft shredder.

The new addition to the VRZ series is intended for recycling and reprocessing waste wood. The unit is equipped with sickle-shaped ripper teeth and is intended for minimal maintenance through the use of HiTorc direct drives. The drives have a capacity of 2 x 138kw and are resistant to tramp materials. They are also dynamic, offering improved start-up and reversing behaviour. “During the development of the new VRZ series shredder, we placed great emphasis on making it robust, resistant to intrusive materials, reliable and low-maintenance,” said Martin Baldus, Head of Industrial Shredding development at Vecoplan.

The VPC 1600 is a pre-shredder intended for use with voluminous objects and bulky wooden items such as pallets. Notably, the new version of this product can be combined with the VHZ single-shaft shredders (VHZ 1600 and VPC 1600) to increase throughput by up to 50% and to save space. With its working width of 1600mm, the 800mm-high VPC is designed to fit exactly onto the VHZ with a sliding frame connecting the shredder and the pre-shredder. The VPC is permanently fixed during operation but it is designed to be moved at other times if an operator has to change the counter-knives in the shredder. The filler port of the new pre-shredder measures 1605 x 1605mm and the drive power is 2 x 9.2kw. Sixteen counter-crushers have been integrated into the machine and it also has two independently running rotors, each with a speed of ten revolutions per minute.

UAE: Belgium-based Besix, Finland-based Griffin Refineries and Tech Group Echo subsidiary Emirates RDF has announced the start of production at its 365,000t/yr-capacity refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant in Umm Al Quwain, according to Trade Arabia News. General manager Nicolaas de Koning said, “Emirates RDF is delighted that, after intensive cooperation with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Ministry of Presidential Affairs President’s Initiatives Committee, the RDF facility has launched the production of high-quality alternative fuel for factories in the region.”

Austria: Waste processing specialist Lindner has celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for its new headquarters. The company says that the 45,000m² site will also encompass a new “state-of-the-art waste processing technology production plant.” It says that the facility will enable it to better serve the industries that depend on its expertise, including the cement sector. “That’s why it is so important to us to constantly expand this know-how, develop new solutions and systematically prepare and pass on the knowledge gained,” it added.