Global CemFuels News

US: Lehigh Cement’s is preparing to co-process ‘raggertail’ at its Glens Falls plant in New York state. The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has prepared a draft air pollution permit for the unit. It is accepting public comments until late December 2018.

Raggertail is derived from non-recyclable ‘raggertail’ residuals processed by Frontier Fiber from Norampac and Greenpac recycled paper mills in Niagara Falls. It consists of approximately 60% plastic and 40% fibre (biomass). Emissions testing performed at the plant while burning the alternative fuel on a trial basis demonstrated that its use will not cause ambient impacts above State guideline concentrations. At present the cement plant’s kiln is powered by natural gas and coal.

India: The city corporation of Tirupur has signed a letter of intent to supply 30t/day of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to ACC’s cement plant at Madukarai near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The city authorities are struggling to separate waste streams generated by its residents, according to the Times of India. The authorities are trying to improve local awareness to segregate waste at source to aid reuse, recycling and disposal.

Argentina: Geocycle Argentina has signed a framework agreement with the Ministry of Environment to co-process tyres at Holcim Argentina’s Capdeville cement plant in Las Heras. The arrangement is also intended to minimise population’s levels of the Aedes aegypti or yellow fever mosquito, according to MDZ Online. Improper disposal of tyres and the subsequent accumulation of water can lead to higher breeding levels of the mosquito. The insect is a vector in the transmission of the Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses.

Germany: Vecoplan says that its sales have grown by 15% so far in 2018 and its orders have increased by 25%. It has attributed its growth to gaining new customers. The company manufacturers machines and systems for the resources and recycling industry for shredding, conveying and reprocessing wood, biomass, plastics, paper and other recyclable materials such as domestic and industrial waste.

UK: N+P says that Subcoal production will start at its Teeside plant in July 2019. Following nearly a year of de-commissioning and site preparation works. The project has achieved financial close and construction work has commenced following nearly a year of de-commissioning and site preparation works. The plant will consume 0.25Mt/yr of commercial and industrial waste feedstock and will produce 0.19Mt/yr of N+P’s Subcoal product. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor is Fairport Engineering.

The Teeside plant will supply Subcoal pellets to different outlets including Simec Atlantis Energy (SAE) for use in its Uskmouth 220MW coal-fired power station, which is being converted from coal to waste-derived fuel. N+P and SAE have agreed a fuel-supply agreement to supply nearly 1Mt/yr to the power station once it has been converted to using Subcoal in place of coal in 2021. To meet demand for the contract, N+P plans to build a further three Subcoal plants.