Displaying items by tag: Waste management

US: Furno Materials has signed an agreement with ready-mix concrete producer Maschmeyer Concrete for the use of its compact modular cement kiln technology. Maschmeyer Concrete plans to operate the kilns using its 90,000t/yr of ‘waste’ concrete as a feedstock. The company will build an initial 50,000t/yr-capacity mini cement plant in Florida. The partners are currently conducting site analysis and a feasibility study for the project.

This latest deal brings Furno Materials’ total commitments to 295,000t/yr across announced and unannounced projects. The sale remains contingent on the successful deployment of its first commercial-scale reactor with concrete producer Ozinga in Chicago, Illinois.

India: Bengaluru Solid Waste Management (BSWML) has reported improved segregation of waste at source, resulting in a rise in the collection of low-value plastic waste, which can be used as refuse derived fuel (RDF). BSWML has signed a new agreement with Dalmia Cement to supply 200-250t/day of RDF to the company’s cement plant in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh. On the first day of operations, 160t were despatched to the plant. Currently, the city of Bengaluru generates between 350-400t/day of RDF. Under the agreement, Dalmia Cement has committed to accept up to 1000t/day, which officials say will significantly reduce pressure on the city’s landfills.

Lithuania: Scientists at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) have developed methods to convert discarded textiles into alternative fuels and cement additives to reduce waste. Efforts focus on reducing the clinker content of cement and CO₂ output.

Dr Raimonda Kubiliute of the KTU Faculty of Chemical Technology said “The cement industry, especially clinker firing processes in rotary kilns, contributes significantly to environmental pollution. This is why researchers are actively seeking ways to reduce the amount of conventional cement in cement-based mixtures by replacing it with alternative binders or fillers.”

KTU found that polyester fibre from waste textiles, when added to concrete at 1.5%, increases compressive strength by 15-20% and improves freeze-thaw resistance. Ash from thermal treatment of textiles at 300°C in an inert atmosphere can replace up to 7.5% of ordinary Portland cement and increase strength by up to 16% under curing conditions. The findings are part of the ‘Production of Alternative Fuel from Textile Waste in Energy-Intensive Industries (Textifuel)’ project between KTU and the Lithuanian Energy Institute.

Dr Kubiliute said “This technological solution not only reduces CO₂ emissions during cement production but also provides an innovative and environmentally friendly approach to textile waste management.”

Philippines: Holcim Philippines has signed an agreement with Prime Infrastructure Capital for the supply of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to its cement plants in Bulacan and La Union. Under the deal, Prime Infra’s subsidiary Prime Waste Solutions (PWS) Pampanga will provide RDF produced from plastic waste converted into alternative fuels through co-processing technology, helping Holcim to reduce its reliance on traditional fuels.

Cara Peralta, market sector lead for waste at Prime Infra, said “It is rare to find like-minded organisations such as Holcim willing to partner with us and make investments in sustainable practices like RDF consumption.”

UK: N+P Group announced that investment has been approved for its new 5t/hr research and development pilot line at its Hartlepool site. The installation will separate biogenic fractions from hard-to-process waste, including municipal solid waste and material from materials recovery facilities and other processing sites. The output will be a cleaned, high-biogenic alternative fuel, with biogenic content expected to exceed 70%. N+P aims to deliver the first volumes from its facility in the first quarter of 2026.

Italy: Federbeton, which represents the cement and concrete industry, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Assocarta, the association of paper, cardboard and pulp producers, to develop synergies in circular economy and decarbonisation initiatives.

The agreement aims to recover paper industry waste as a resource for reducing CO₂ emissions in cement production. Recycled waste and sludge will be used to produce solid fuel recovered (SRF). The protocol includes joint technical discussions to identify suitable recovery conditions, cooperation in securing national and EU funding and engagement with public authorities to improve regulatory frameworks.

Federbeton president Stefano Gallini said “If decarbonisation is a systemic challenge, achieving this goal necessarily requires collaboration and shared commitment. The agreement with Assocarta stems precisely from this awareness and is a concrete tool to accelerate the path towards carbon neutrality. Replacing fossil fuels with solutions like SRF represents an immediate opportunity for the environment, the community and the country's energy independence. It is a lever already widely adopted in Europe, where the average substitution rate is 56%. In Italy, we still stand at 26%, due to inconsistent application of regulations and cultural mistrust.”

UK: Cemex UK has launched its partnership with The Pallet LOOP, with the first load of LOOP’s reusable pallets carrying Rugby Cement products from the company’s plant in Rugby. The FSC-certified pallets are designed for multiple trips and are supported by a national collection service offering customers €2.30–€4.61 for each pallet returned. The Pallet LOOP offers €2.30 for pallets that are damaged or dirty but repairable, and €4.61 for those returned in good condition. Cemex is the first cement producer to adopt the system.

The national sales manager for bagged cement at Cemex UK, Vicki Elliott, said “The Pallet LOOP’s business model mirrors our commitment to circularity with its award-winning reuse scheme. For decades, wasted and abandoned wood pallets have posed a real challenge across the supply chain. It is great to see such a fresh and dynamic approach effectively tackling the long-standing issue of single-use pallets. We look forward to expanding the service across the full Cemex portfolio in future roll outs.”

Managing director at The Pallet LOOP Andy Williamson said "The departure of the first load of Rugby Cement products on our LOOP pallets is another major milestone for us, for Cemex and for the wider building materials sector. By rewarding customers for every pallet they return, we’re making sustainability pay - helping companies in the construction industry lower costs while also reducing waste and their carbon footprint."

India: Recycling equipment manufacturer Fornnax Technology has launched the R-MAX3300, its largest secondary shredder, at IFAT India 2025 in Mumbai on 14 October 2025. The machine is designed to process low-density waste streams such as municipal solid waste, commercial and industrial waste, bulky waste, legacy waste, wood waste and construction and demolition waste. The R-MAX3300 produces refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and solid recovered fuel (SRF) with particle sizes between 30 and 50mm.

Director and CEO of Fornnax Technology Jignesh Kundaria said “With the rising challenges of waste management in India and globally, this machine is not just a product; it’s a powerful tool for change. We engineered it to handle the most difficult waste streams with unparalleled efficiency, turning what was once considered unusable waste into a valuable resource. It directly addresses the urgent demand for effective, large-scale shredding technology that can support cement kilns and waste-to-energy facilities in achieving the desired output.”

According to the company, India currently generates over 160,000t/day of municipal solid waste. Simultaneously, the global industrial shredder market is expected to grow at a 5-6% CAGR, driven by stricter recycling regulations and increasing waste generation.

Belgium: Etex and Heidelberg Materials have joined forces on CEMLOOP XL, an industrial-scale project co-funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme that aims to revolutionise fibre cement recycling through a fully closed-loop process integrating carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology. According to a press release by Etex, this will reduce CO₂ emissions in cement production by at least 20% and cut energy consumption in the process by 15%.

The project will combine the two companies' expertise to create a fully circular process where waste fibre cement is transformed into high-quality secondary raw material to produce low-carbon cement that will be reused in new fibre cement products. Etex, in collaboration with the Jacobs Group, is developing a recycled fibre cement paste (RFCP) process that converts waste from Etex’s production lines and the wider construction sector into reusable material and avoids landfilling. A new recycling facility in Hemiksem, near Antwerp, is under construction and scheduled for completion by mid-2026.

At Heidelberg Materials’ Lixhe cement plant in Liège, the company is implementing CCLIX, a carbonation process that treats RFCP with CO₂ captured from kiln exhaust gases. This produces carbonated RFCP (cRFCP), which regains cementitious properties and can partially replace clinker in low-carbon cement production. A dedicated carbonation reactor is set to be commissioned at Lixhe by the end of 2028.

Etex says that CEMLOOP XL will prevent 60,000t/yr of fibre cement waste, save 100,000t/yr  of raw limestone, and capture or avoid around 900kg of CO₂ for each tonne of RFCP produced. This process combines utilisation and storage in one step - the captured CO₂ becomes chemically bound within the new product, acting as a permanent CO₂ sink.

Eric Bertrand, chief innovation officer at Etex, said “By 2030, we aim for over 20% of our inputs to come from circular sources and to send zero waste to landfill. Fibre cement plays a central role in this transformation. For the first time, it will follow a fully circular journey - a milestone only made possible through strong partnerships like this with Heidelberg Materials.”

Bolivia: The municipal government of Santa Cruz de la Sierra has signed an agreement with Itacamba Cemento to recycle thousands of end-of-life tyres (ENDTs) into alternative fuel for cement production, according to the El Deber newspaper. The initiative was implemented through the Municipal Waste Management Company (Emacruz).

Under the agreement, discarded tyres collected from landfills will be transformed into thermal energy for use in Itacamba’s cement kilns, reducing waste and fossil fuel consumption. The tyres will be incinerated at temperatures exceeding 1400°C, with monitoring and gas-capture systems employed to prevent harmful emissions.

Mayor Jhonny Fernández said “We guarantee the responsible disposal of thousands of tonnes of tyres that would otherwise cause pollution or become breeding grounds for diseases like dengue. This is our tangible contribution to a healthier environment and better quality of life for our citizens.”

Itacamba Cemento general manager Marcelo Morales said “Co-processing is a globally recognised waste management method that complies with the waste hierarchy. Our kiln enables the complete and safe destruction of non-recyclable materials.”