Displaying items by tag: Alternative Fuels

Türkiye: Oyak Cement will invest US$4.59m to increase fuel supply capacity at its Adana plant. The producer will add 180,000t/yr of processing capacity to the existing 36,000t/yr refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production capacity, raising the total to 216,000t/yr. It will also establish a biomass facility with a capacity of 180,000t/yr. The RDF will be prepared at a disposal fuel facility for use in the cement plant.

Finland: Tana Oy has appointed Anu Söderena as Manager, Nordics & Baltics. Her responsibilities include leading and developing the sales and rental business of Tana Rental's machine portfolio, as well as coordinating maintenance and spare parts operations.

Söderena previously worked as a Business Development Manager at Kuusakoski Recycling, where she was responsible for managing a recycling plant investment project, among other roles. She holds a master’s degree in materials engineering and a master of business administration qualification.

UK: Cemex and SUEZ Recycling and Recovery have celebrated the use of 1Mt of alternative fuel at Cemex’s Rugby cement plant since the adjacent SUEZ Malpass Farm facility opened in 2015. The partnership has reduced coal consumption at the plant by over 750,000t, alongside downstream CO₂ savings from supply chain emissions transporting and shipping coal on-site.

SUEZ processes non-recyclable materials at Cemex’s Rugby facility to produce Climafuel. The fuel is derived from sifted and shredded waste from local authorities and businesses in the Midlands, and is used to heat the kiln at the neighbouring Cemex plant. Ash from the Climafuel is also incorporated into clinker production.

Phil Baynes-Clarke, director of cement operations for Cemex UK, said “Since 2013, we have collaborated closely with SUEZ to produce Climafuel, a refuse-derived, non-fossil-based alternative fuel used to heat the kiln in the cement-making process. Over the past decade, Climafuel usage has steadily increased at our Rugby cement plant. Our ultimate goal is to operate the kiln with 100% alternative fuels, and we are getting close to this target.”

Australia: Boral has launched upgraded ‘carbon-reducing’ technology at its Berrima Cement Works in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales (NSW). The upgraded facility features a new chlorine bypass, which reduces the build-up of chlorides and other alternative fuel byproducts. This will reportedly enable alternative fuel usage to reach 60% over the next three years at the site, doubling its current substitution rate of 30%.

Thailand: At COP29 in Azerbaijan, the Thai Cement Manufacturers Association, in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change and Environment, the Global Cement and Concrete Association and United Nations Industrial Development, showcased the achievements of the ‘Saraburi Sandbox’ project. Notable successes include more than 80% of construction projects in Saraburi now using hydraulic cement, the cement industry increasing its use of alternative fuels and renewable energy to 26%, and a pilot project for growing crops like Napier grass for use as alternative fuels in cement production. These developments are key to implementing the Thailand 2050 Net Zero Cement and Concrete roadmap.

Portugal: Cimpor recently celebrated the 50^th anniversary of its Souselas plant, which has been operational since November 1974. The plant was initially launched with a production capacity of 500,000t/yr of clinker, but has since adapted to meet market demand.

Throughout its five decades of operation, the Souselas plant has produced over 69Mt of clinker and processed approximately 667,000t of alternative fuels. Current projects include the rehabilitation of Line 2 for producing calcined clays, installing photovoltaic plants and focusing on co-processing and heat recovery initiatives, with the aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The anniversary event showcased recent projects, such as the installation of a 1MW photovoltaic plant and the planned introduction of a 10MW plant by 2025. Additionally, a 7.4MW waste heat recovery system will commence operation in February 2025 and a 10MW hydrogen plant is scheduled for 2026.

Egypt: Assiut Cement, part of Cemex, is set to manage and operate a non-hazardous post-consumer material recycling plant in Tunal-Gabal, Mallawi, Minya, around 230km south of Cairo. According to Yago Castro Izaguirre, Cemex President in Egypt and UAE, the material treated by the plant will produce alternative fuels for the company’s cement plant in Assiut.

The plant will receive 320t/day of material from Mallawi and Deir Muwwas. As well as alternative fuels, the plant will also make organic fertilisers. Rejects will be disposed of in a new sanitary landfill that is currently under construction.

Vietnam: Thailand-based Siam Cement Group (SCG) says it is expanding the production of its SCG Low Carbon cement product in southern Vietnam. It plans to export up to 8000t/day of the product to the US, Canada, and Australia, as well as supplying local green-procurement projects, according to the Vietnam Business Forum. The company says its low-carbon cement reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 20%, compared to regular products, through the use of alternative fuels, renewable energy sources and installing waste heat recovery (WHR) units at its plants. SCG formally launched SCG Low Carbon Super Cement in the country in July 2024.

US: Eagle Materials has awarded thyssenkrupp Polysius a contract for the modernisation and expansion of its Laramie, Wyoming cement plant. The modernisation project will result in an expansion of the plant's manufacturing capacity to approximately 1.1Mt/yr of cement. The project also includes the installation of an alternative fuel substitution system. The modernisation of the cement plant is expected to deliver benefits such as cost reductions, achieved with lower-cost alternative fuels and natural gas, simplified maintenance and improved operational efficiencies. The production expansion from the new finish mill will supplement the grinding capacity of the existing plant, which already operates with an integrated polysius booster mill. The polytrack ECO cooler will facilitate heat recovery and clinker cooling while improving process reliability. The project, which has received primary regulatory approvals, is slated to commence immediately [in November 2024], with construction scheduled for completion by the second half of 2026.

Pakistan: Attock Cement expects that its cement despatches will decline by 10% year-on-year in the 2025 financial year. During a corporate briefing it revealed that local despatches of cement had fallen by 20% year-on-year to 7.91Mt in the first quarter to 30 September 2024 from 9.87Mt in the same period in 2023, according to the Pakistan Press International news agency. The decrease was more pronounced in the south of the country than the north. Despite this, exports grew by 22% to 2.14Mt. The company’s turnover and profit also fell during the reporting period.

The company is currently investing US$4.5m in a 4.8MW wind power unit. The project is intended to reduce the company’s reliance on the local electricity grid and reduce power costs generally. It is expected to become operational from January 2025. The cement producer is also planning to increase its usage of alternative fuels to further bring down production costs.