Global CemFuels News

Sri Lanka: Insee Ecocyle, the waste management subsidiary of Insee Group, has helped the Sri Lanka Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) and National Dangerous Drugs Control Board dispose of nearly 1t of cocaine. Confiscated narcotics were burnt in the kiln of Insee Cement plant at Puttalam. according to the Daily Financial Times newspaper. This is the first time that cocaine has been disposed of in this fashion in Sri Lanka.

The confiscated cocaine hydrochloride was co-processed through a liquid feeding channel. It was liquefied in an aqueous medium at the Insee Ecocycle pre-processing facility in Katunayake with the addition of a colouring agent for visual differentiation. The liquefied material was then transported for final disposal to the Puttalam cement plant in purpose-built hazardous waste transporting vehicles, escorted by PNB officials. The local authorities are also considering using the same process to dispose of other illegal recreational drugs including heroin and cannabis.

Spain: Local environment authorities have approved Cementos Cosmos to increases its alternative fuels substitution rate to up to 45% from its current limit of 30%. The plant has been supplementing its petcoke use with refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and biomass, according to the Córdoba newspaper. The plant, and its owners Brazil’s Votorantim Cement, have faced local opposition to changing its fuels mix.

UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has welcomed a report by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser on the value of waste for its referencing of co-processed recycling of waste derived fuels and raw materials in the cement industry. The report, entitled ‘From waste to resource productivity’ by Mark Walport, looks at waste as a resource.

It is accompanied by a case study report that brings together evidence and opinions from a range of stakeholders, including a study from MPA’s Richard Leese and Rebecca Hooper regarding co-processing waste in cement. This document is not a statement of government policy, but the MPA says it is the first UK government report to reference co-processed recycling of waste derived fuels and raw materials.

“UK cement manufacturers recycle 1.5Mt of waste and by-products annually. Government scientists have finally acknowledged the important recycling that the cement industry provides for UK society,” said Richard Leese, MPA’s Director of Industrial Policy, Energy and Climate Change. He added that the next step would be for the government to account for the ‘societal benefit’ of waste products in its official recycling statistics.

Canada: Lafarge Canada, University of Calgary, Queen’s University, and Pembina Institute have started a study on the environmental benefits of introducing lower carbon fuels at the Exshaw Cement Plant in Alberta. Eight lower carbon fuels will be researched, including construction renovation and demolition waste, non-recyclable plastic, carpets and textiles, shingles, treated wood products, wood products, rubber and tyre-derived fuels. These sources of fuel have been successfully used at other LafargeHolcim cement plants in Canada.

“Lab simulations, environmental studies, economics and logistics reviews are already underway. All research will be finalised by December 2019 with regular updates provided to the neighbouring communities via a Public Advisory Committee,” said Jim Bachmann, the plant manager of Exshaw .

Additional research by the partners will measure the environmental components associated with the sourcing, processing and full-scale commercial operation of each lower carbon fuel compared to fossil fuels. The project will also measure the benefits of diverting materials from landfills and determine optimal points in the cement manufacturing process to inject each fuel.

In addition to Lafarge’s support, research funding is being provided by Alberta Innovates, Ontario Centres of Excellence, Emissions Reduction Alberta and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. It includes research by Millennium EMS Solutions Ltd., Geocycle, and WSP Global Inc.

As part of its 2030 Sustainability Plan, LafargeHolcim aims to replace 30 - 50% of fossil fuel use at its Canadian cement plants with lower carbon fuels by 2020.

Austria: Rohrdorfer Group has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Humboldt Wedag, a subsidiary of KHD, for the modernisation of the kiln line at its cement plant operations in Gmunden. The upgrade will enable the flexible usage of a wide range of waste fractionally pre-treated derived fuels on a high substitution rate.

The modernisation project comprises the design and supply of KHD’s world´s first ever Pyrorotor Cacliner Technology, as well as the replacement of the existing satellite cooler with a new generation Pyrofloor PFC2 clinker cooler. The existing three station rotary kiln will be fitted with a new kiln drive and a new kiln hood as well as kiln inlet and outlet.

With the installation of the new Pyrorotor Cacliner Technology from KHD the Gmunden plant will be able to burn very coarse waste derived fuels including whole rubber tires, which will lead to drastically reduced requirements in regard to waste pre-treatment. Therefore, the kiln modification will also emphasise on pollutant emission reduction.

The contract includes: three new preheater cyclones; a new preheater ID-fan; a tertiary air duct; a Pyrotop compact calciner mixing chamber; Pyrorotor Calciner burning chamber technology, a Pyroclon Calciner Burning System; a new kiln bypass unit; a multi-fuel Pyro-Jet kiln burner for primary and secondary fuels; a new kiln drive and kiln hood; a Pyrofloor PFC2 clinker cooler equipped with a Pyrocrusher roller type clinker crusher; and Simulex plant simulation software.

KHD services include the dismantling of existing equipment parts as well as the engineering, design, supply and erection of new equipment including commissioning services. Commissioning of the new system is scheduled for April 2019.