Global CemFuels News

Canada: A scheme to use coffee packs at Lafarge Canada’s Kamloops cement plant has ended following the mothballing of the site. Lafarge Canada and Van Houtte Coffee Services had an arrangement to use leftover Keurig coffee packs collected in the Kamloops area as an alternative fuel for the plant, according to the Province newspaper. However, Lafarge Canada announced that it was mothballing the plant in October 2016 due to poor market conditions. Up to 26 workers may lose their jobs. Van Houtte is looking for a new site to place the programme.

Egypt: Khaled Fahmy, the Minister of Environment, has said that government ministers have approved a plan submitted by the Ministry of Environment that seeks to encourage the increase in waste used as energy in cement plants to 15% by 2030. He said that the cabinet adopted the plan, adding that discussions are underway with heads of plants to discuss problems they face in using waste as fuel, according to the Daily News Egypt newspaper. Prime Minister Sherif Ismail has asked operators in the cement industry to start studying their energy consumption and to start suggesting ways they can increase their rate of co-processing of alternative fuels.

The plan hopes to utilise nearly 22Mt of solid waste and 30Mt of agricultural residues to produce the refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy are also preparing legislation to encourage investors to start waste-to-energy businesses.

"The real problems facing investors in the waste recycling business is the lack of commitment by cleaning companies to provide the required quantities of waste to be recycled and used as an alternative fuel," said Fahmy. The ministry is also trying to improve the performance of waste management vehicles with new technology.

Egypt: A report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has said that increased use of alternative fuels in the cement industry could save up to US$51m/yr by 2025. The study ‘Unlocking Value: Alternative Fuels for Egypt’s Cement Industry’ assessed the potential for producers to increase the use of alternative fuels and recommend sustainable market solutions. Those alternative fuels include municipal solid waste, agricultural waste, sewage, and old tyres. By 2025, the study suggests, alternative fuels could replace about 1.9Mt of coal and prevent the release of 3.9Mt of CO².

“Egypt is executing a wide array of initiatives to provide new sources of energy,” said Ramon Piza, president of Cemex Egypt. “We believe that all sectors, public and private, should collaborate and join forces to facilitate the usage of alternative fuel to further support these initiatives and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The study found that the country produces enough alternative fuels to power the entire cement sector. It included a mapping tool that pinpoints the location of cement plants, sources of alternative fuels, and transport links. However, it found that several obstacles prevent cement producers from using alternative fuels, including the lack of a well-established supply chain that would collect, process, and deliver waste to cement plants. The report recommends that market players must come to clear and fair commercial and quality arrangements ensuring a secure supply and return on investment, a fair pricing mechanism, and regulatory improvements to increase waste collection and treatment efficiency.

The report was supported by the governments of Denmark and Italy, the Korea Green Growth Trust Fund, and the Earth Fund Platform. It is part of a larger effort by the IFC to combat climate change, improve waste management, and support the global cement industry. The IFC has invested $4bn in 180 projects in the cement sector during the last 55 years. IFC’s current cement portfolio includes 30 investments and 10 advisory projects.

China: FLSmidth, Sino Environment Engineering Development (SEPTEC) and China Resources Cement (CRC) have signed a partnership to provide pyroprocessing co-processing systems to cement plants. FLSmidth will be responsible for the design, engineering and integration of the integrated waste burning solution, with SEPETC acting as a general contractor.

The agreement follows a project at CRC's Hongshuihe cement plant that took municipal and industrial waste from the city of Binyang in Guangxi. FLSmidth installed a Hotdisc system that could process 300t/day of waste to support the cement plant’s cement production capacity of 3200t/day.

"China's energy intensive industries, such as cement production, are coming under pressure from the government that wants to rebalance the economy towards a less energy-hungry mode of growth, curb pollution and reduce carbon emissions. CRC plans to initiate several similar municipal solid waste co-processing projects for other cement producers with FLSmidth and SEPETC as partners," said FLSmidth China Country Manager, Cyril Leung.

In China's latest five-year plan, the government encourages more cement producers to co-process municipal solid waste in the cement industry, with an aim of getting 15 - 20% of the cement kilns in the country to be co-processing waste by 2020. In 2017, China will introduce a national carbon-trading scheme in 2017.

Oman: Al Ramooz National LLC has selected Bulk Handling Systems (BHS) to provide two mixed waste processing facilities in Oman. A 220t/day plant at Ibri and a 150t/day plant at Buraimi will treat municipal solid waste from the governorates of Al Dhahirah and Al Buraimi in northwest Oman. Both systems will be commissioned in 2017.

The new plants will process waste for French company Veolia and Al Ramooz, which were awarded a seven-year waste management contract tendered by Oman Environmental Services Holding Company in 2016. The contract includes the collection, transportation and landfilling for 250,000 residents. To fulfill this contract, Al Ramooz National LLC takes charge of collection, material processing and recovery. To maximise recovery and product quality, Al Ramooz National LLC selected BHS’ patented MSW process, combining screen, air and optical separation technologies to capture recyclable commodities and to produce alternative fuels.

“These two systems are an investment in the long-term sustainability of Oman,” said Al Ramooz Chairman Ali Saleh Al Sahib. “BHS offered the most advanced and complete system to help us reach our goals and we are especially excited to bring such a high level of technology to our process. We were able to collaborate on creative layouts to immediately maximise our recovery and value from the waste stream while simultaneously building in the flexibility to expand our processing capabilities in the future.”

The plants will feature the BHS Metering Bin Liberator Class to open bags and provide the system with a steady flow of material. BHS Tri-Disc screens will extract organics and separate containers from fibres, while Nihot Single Drum Separators will segregate dry recyclables from bulkier items, such as wood and rock. NRT’s In-Flight Sorting optical technology will target PET, HDPE, PP and PVC. Cardboard, mixed paper, ferrous metals and aluminium will also be recovered.