Displaying items by tag: Refuse Derived Fuel
Philippines: A consortium, including a Lafarge subsidiary, has officially opened a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) facility at the Payatas landfill in Quezon City in the Philippines. Mundo Verde consists of Lafarge Industrial Ecology International SA, landfill operator IPM Environmental Services (IPM- ESI), waste management consultancy Basic Environmental Systems & Technologies (BEST), as well as engineering consultancy Pennies and Pounds Holdings.
"The facility will help reduce the volume of waste in the Payatas landfill, while at the same time produce RDF, an alternative fuel that can be used in the cement-making process," said Mundo Verde in a statement.
The facility started operations on 22 January 2013 and it is expected to increase RDF production to 150t/day from 50t/day. The landfill site receives an estimated 1200t/day of solid water of which about 30% will be processed by the facility. Waste processing is expected to prolong the lifespan of the landfill by three to four years.
The facility's RDF will be used at Lafarge Republic cement plants. Currently, coal comprises 75% of the cement producer's fuel with the remaining 25% made up of alternative fuels such as rice husks, discarded plastics, and sludge. RDF comprises 5 - 10% of the producer's alternative fuel use.
Nesher Cement to benefit from refuse derived fuels
31 October 2012Israel: The Israeli Interior Ministry has approved the construction of a waste recycling plant with a capacity of 1500t/day next to the former Hiriya rubbish dump, southeast of Tel Aviv.
The project is a joint venture between the regional Dan Municipal Sanitation Association and Nesher Cement. Nesher Cement plans to use refuse derived fuels at its Ramle plant, all other materials will be recycled. The Environment and Finance ministries have also announced tenders to build another similar facility in the area.
Lafarge UK: sustainable to profitable?
24 October 2012Lafarge UK's release of its 2011 Sustainability Report for its cement business this week presented some bold headline figures. Key statistics for the period covering 2009 - 2011 included a 17% reduction in CO2 emissions through the use of solid recovered fuels (SRF), a 17% reduction in the use of electricity and a 26% cut in emissions to air.
For a European producer this is some positive news in a time of gloom. Looking a little deeper into the report reveals the usual ambiguities that can arise with interpreting statistics. Lafarge UK's fossil fuel consumption actually rose by 9% from 285,000t in 2009 to 311,000t in 2011. CO2 emissions to air rose by 15% from 2.31Mt to 2.65Mt. In terms of emissions per tonne of Portland Cement Equivalent (tPCE), the figures are more encouraging with fossil fuel use decreasing from 87kg/tPCE to 82kg/tPCE (6%) and CO2 emissions remaining stable at 704kg/tPCE. These figures are good considering that Lafarge's production increased from 2009 to 2011 due to construction for the London 2012 Olympics.
As mentioned in Edwin A R Trout's article 'The British cement industry in 2011 and 2012' the move to refuse-derived fuels (RDF) has consistently made the news with projects at several Lafarge plants. RDF use at Lafarge UK plants rose by 48%, from 92,758t in 2009 to 137,143t in 2011. Each of the alternate fuels – tyres, waste-derived liquid fuel, processed sewage pellets (PSP), meat and bone meal, SRF – roughly increased its unit share per tonne of cement produced by 2%.
Lafarge UK is clearly reacting to uncertain input costs and preparing for any further future green taxes. It failed to meet its 2011 target rate for RDF substitution of 31% (it reached 29%) but it has raised the target to 35% for 2012. It is also continuing to secure permits for PSP use at its Dunbar plant and SRF use at its Hope plant, although by the time this is approved Hope may be someone else's facility. However, the key question is, how can Lafarge push alternate fuels? It will be interesting to see how much Lafarge UK's fuel mix can be reduced in cost over the next five years.
UK: Lafarge has marked its 10th year of sustainability reporting in the UK with the release of its 2011/2012 Sustainability Reports.
Lafarge says that it has made significant investment in developing its sustainable credentials. Waste and water consumption have been cut by 92% and 88% respectively in the cement business since reporting began in 2001. The latest reports also show major advances in the reduction of emissions to air, an increase in the amount of material being moved by rail, greater bio-diversity in its landholdings and improvements in health and safety performance.
"Despite the economic downturn and challenging conditions in the construction market in recent years we have continued to invest in, and demonstrate our commitment to sustainability across, our UK businesses," said, the president of Lafarge UK, Dyfrig James.
Key highlights of the 2011 Sustainability Report for Lafarge Cement, which covers the period 2009 - 2011 inclusive in the UK include:
1. A 17% reduction in CO2 emissions through increased usage of sustainable, waste-derived fuels such as waste tyres and solid recovered fuel (SRF) in manufacturing processes.
2. A 17% reduction in the use of electricity driven by the implementation of Lafarge Cement's 'Golden Rules of Energy Management.'
3. A 26% cut in emissions to air in 2011.
4. Major reductions in waste production, with 76% of all non-hazardous waste sent off site now being recycled.
5. Progression in the regeneration of landholdings including granted approval for the creation of a mixed-use community including 500 new homes at the former Northfleet Works.
6. Significant improvements in health and safety performance, including a 31% decline in first aid instances in 2011 and Cookstown Works achieving a global record of 10 years with no Lost-Time Incidents (LTIs).
7. Piloting of independent water footprint assessments at a number of plants to identify ways to increase efficiency of water use.
8. Winning the Environment Agency Water Save Award for the Cauldon Shale Lake Project – the creation of a closed loop water system to recirculate water for gas conditioning and industrial cooling at Cauldon Works.
9. Growth in sales of lower CO2 packed cements from 51% in 2009 to 54% in 2011.
Lafarge also made improvements in its extensive UK ready-mix concrete operations, which saw a 30% reduction in the CO2 emissions resulting from concrete production compared to figures recorded in 1990 and a 16% reduction in CO2/t between 2010 and 2011.
Fauji Cement powers Pakistan plant with refuse
09 August 2011Pakistan: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) for Islamabad has made temporary arrangement with Fauji Cement for the disposal of garbage from Sector I-14 of the city to cut pollution. Disposal of garbage has become a major issue for the city and the agreement was carried out in the interests of citizens a CDA official announced.
Fauji Cement has installed a waste processing plant at its site in the Tehsil Fateh Jang region of the Attock District. Here solid waste is processed for the generation of fuel to run the plant using Refuse Derived Fuel technology. As per the agreement, the CDA transports garbage to a nearby green belt whereupon Fauji Cement takes responsibility for segregating the material, taking it to the plant and covering the remaining material with mud.
The CDA official stated that previously the garbage was being disposed of in deep ditches covered with soil but it was an unhygienic and undesirable practice. However, as the Fauji Cement covers the garbage (remains) with mud, there is hardly any adverse impact on the environment. Currently a study is being conducted to gauge the impact of disposal of garbage on the environment in Islamabad.