Displaying items by tag: Alternative Fuels

Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement has announced plans to lift sales of power generated in-house at its Tochigi Prefecture plant using wood biomass fuel. The current fuel mix is 85% wood chips and 15% coal, 20% more wood chips than previously.

The group's operating profit is expected to surge by 41% to US$144m in the fiscal year ending March 2013. Sumitomo Osaka Cement does not disclose power-related earnings, but the steady advance of power sales is expected to become a factor that boosts operating profit by US$12.5-25m.

The power generation facilities at the Tochigi plant were completed in February 2009 and went into full operation in April 2009. Current output is 25,000kw.

Sumitomo Osaka Cement suspended operations at one of the plant's two kilns in January 2012 as part of restructuring measures, giving it capacity to supply more of its leftover power. It aims to contribute to the power supply by selling the excess electricity, especially with Japan's nuclear plants remaining offline due to the aftermath of the Fukashima radiation leak following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

US: Cemex USA has announced a novel plan to install four 120m-tall wind turbines at one of its US cement terminals and quarry in order to cut carbon emissions and energy costs.

The Victorville Planning Commission has unanimously approved the two turbines proposed at Cemex's cement manufacturing plant, with the company stating the project would help keep jobs in the Victor Valley.

"Our operations will continue at Victorville even if the turbine permits are not approved," said Cemex spokeswoman Sara Engdahl. "However, the wind turbine project at our Victorville site is beneficial not only to our operations but to the environment as well. The project will contribute to the local economy through jobs created for the construction and engineering of the turbine, and the project directly partners with California-based Foundation Windpower."

The two turbines in Victorville will produce an estimated 6500MWh of electricity in an average year, enough to sustain 650 average homes, according to the company. The other two proposed turbines will be built at the Black Mountain Quarry in an unincorporated area of Apple Valley. They are under review by San Bernardino County.

The project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stabilise energy costs for Cemex, while preparing the company to comply with future carbon emission requirements, according to Cemex's proposal to the city of Victorville.

"The wind turbine project at our Victorville plant is part of our vision and commitment to reduce our environmental footprint and contribute to a cleaner environment," said Engdahl. "Cemex is increasingly using renewable energy to generate power for our operations."

She added that Foundation Windpower began working on foundations of the Victorville site in August 2011. It is scheduled to start erecting the turbines in September 2012.

UK: Plans to burn used tyres and plastics for energy at Lafarge's Aberthaw works in South Wales have been submitted to the Environment Agency for approval. Lafarge's comes after it sent out 5000 letters to residents explaining the latest proposals and held two public consultations. The proposal has previously sparked concerns among some residents and environmentalists.

The plant's management team says that the move would cut costs and reduce coal burning and CO₂ emissions. The proposal comes six years after the Lafarge meat and bone meal (MBM) from cows and sheep as a sustainable waste-derived fuel at the plant. If the move is approved by the Environment Agency, the used Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF), including papers and plastics, and end-of-life car and van tyres, could save up to 15,500t/yr of coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20,000t/yr.

James Kirkpatrick, manager at the Aberthaw works, which has an integrated capacity of 0.55Mt/yr, said the plan had been prompted by increased competition in the cement market and a serious downturn in demand for construction products. "Since it was introduced in 2005, we have used 50,000t of MBM which has significantly reduced our consumption of fossil fuels," he said. "Extending the range of sustainable waste-derived fuels we can use offers us a good way to keep a check on our costs which have been escalating."

Keith Stockdale, secretary of Barry and Vale Friends of the Earth, said, "The Environment Agency will have to impose strict conditions on the burning of this potentially hazardous waste."

Pakistan: 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.