Ireland: An Bord Pleanala has decided to hold an oral hearing into Irish Cement’s plan to burn up to 0.6Mt/yr of mixed waste as an alternative fuel at its plant in Platin, County Meath. The hearing will take place on 21 November 2017 and local campaigners are hoping that a large number of local residents will turn out to listen to the submissions.

The North East Association of Environmental Groups say that the plans are 'flawed' and need to be critically examined in great detail before any planning permission or license is granted.

In a statement, Irish Cement that it was looking forward to setting out details of the application during the oral hearing. “This project seeks to replace existing fossil fuel use by increasing the quantity and range of alternative fuels used in the cement kilns in Platin,” it said. “This will reduce Platin's dependence on imported fossil fuels, reduce CO2 emissions by up to 0.3Mt/yr and will help recover valuable resources that might otherwise end up in landfill. It will allow Platin to continue to operate competitively and will support existing direct and indirect employment in the cement works.”

UK: Geocycle, the industrial and municipal waste management subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, has launched its UK operations. The company supports co-processing alternative fuels at cement plants.

“Organisations in the UK are increasingly adopting sustainable business practices, and co-processing provides a practical, cost-effective and environmentally-preferred option to landfills. We’re extremely excited to have launched Geocycle in the UK. With operations in Cauldon, Staffordshire and Cookstown, Northern Ireland in the UK and an extensive global network, we look forward to extending our offer to environmentally-responsible companies,” said Michael Awanayah, General Manager of Geocycle UK.

Netherlands: N+P Recycling has acquired all the shares in Subcoal International as well as Subcoal Production. The move follows the initial purchase of a majority holding in these companies in 2013. N+P has since invested in the development of the Subcoal companies, including work at the Delfzijl production site.

The Subcoal concept was developed in 1998 by DSM but was only fully implemented on a large scale in 2010. Since N+P’s involvement in 2013, the concept has developed globally with demand growing for Subcoal as an alternative fuel used by cement or power plants.

Based on the success of the concept N+P expects a growth of the production capacity to 0.5 – 0.7Mt/yr. The first new production facility is expected in the UK by mid-2018.

Brazil: BNDES, the national development bank, has approved a US$7.4m loan for Votorantim Cimentos to co-process alternative fuels. The funds will be used to adapt the company's industrial units to process industrial waste, tyres and biomass, according to the O Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper. The cement producer is preparing to spend US$13.6m towards modifying its plants at Salto de Pirapora in Sao Paulo and Edealina in Goias.