Displaying items by tag: Waste

India: Around 67t of non-recyclable materials collected from the city of Ernakulam have been sent to cement plants as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for the plant’s processes, according to October 2024 estimates. 36t/day of materials from local bodies and an additional 27t/day from Clean Kerala Company facilities are handed over to cement plants, with private facilities contributing 3.9t. The waste generated in households and commercial establishments was sorted at material collection facilities and resource recovery units managed by local bodies, before being used for energy generation in cement manufacturing. Haritha Karma Sena volunteers manage the collection of non-biodegradable materials from households and shops, directing these materials to nearly 15 cement plants across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat for co-processing.

Nigeria: Lafarge Africa has launched a new alternative fuel and raw material (AFR) platform at its Mfamosing cement plant in Cross River State, with the aim to reduce its CO₂ emissions. The facility will replace traditional fossil fuels with alternative energy sources derived from non-recyclable materials, according to the Nigerian Tribune.

Georgia: Hunnewell Cement, a subsidiary of HeidelbergCement Georgia, has launched a new project to use tyres as an alternative fuel at its Kaspi cement plant, with support from the Georgian government. The project has a budget of US$2.1m, and is expected to create additional job opportunities. It marks a shift from the use of coal and natural gas at the plant, to ‘significantly’ reduce environmental impact and contribute to sustainable development.

Economy minister Levan Davitashvili said "Our goal is to minimise environmental pollution from ‘waste’ while promoting economic development and creating added value.”

Germany: The University of Trier is transforming post-consumer materials into ‘ecological’ cement through a new research project that aims to find sustainable alternatives for the construction industry. The project involves using low-CO₂ industrial post-consumer materials as alternative cement binders, such as sludge from gravel and sand mining, as well as dust from quartzite extraction. The research will run for two years and is supported by the German Federal Environment Foundation.

Mexico: Regenera, a subsidiary of Cemex, has launched a pilot project at its Broquers Ambiental plant in Querétaro to transform the city’s organic waste into alternative fuel using a drying process known as ‘biosecado’. This initiative makes Querétaro the first zero waste municipality in Mexico, according to the company. The plant now processes almost 90% of the municipality’s waste, transforming over 8000t monthly into biomass to reduce the amount of material sent to landfill.

Vice president of urban solutions at Cemex Mexico, Antonio Balmori, said "This project that we started today at our Broquers Ambiental plant excites me very much because it will take the city of Querétaro to the next level in waste management, where we will seek to take advantage of 100% of the urban solid waste generated in the municipality."

Oman: Oman's solid waste management entity, Be'ah, has reported progress in its strategy to transition solid waste from landfill disposal to refuse derived fuel (RDF), according to Oman Daily Observer.

In 2023, Be'ah launched initiatives focusing on transforming waste into RDF, electrical and electronic waste and green waste. The company has signed an agreement with Oman Cement Company to provide tyre derived fuel for its energy needs, eventually expanding to include RDF. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with Oman Cement during Oman Sustainability Week to explore the utilisation of RDF as an additional alternative fuel source, according to the company’s 2023 sustainability report.

Chair of Be’ah, Ahmed al Subhi, said "We take pride in our strategic resource management initiatives, having set ambitious targets for transitioning to a circular economy, including achieving 60% waste utilisation by 2025 and 80% by 2030.”

South Korea: South Korean cement manufacturers recently convened at an event hosted by the Korea Cement Association and the Korea Industry Alliance Forum to discuss how to achieve carbon neutrality. The industry currently faces financial challenges in upgrading equipment due to low cement prices. However, it has achieved a 20% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions per tonne of cement since 2014, aided by the use of alternative fuels and investment in energy efficiency. The Korean government now requires that greenhouse gases be cut by 12% by 2023 from 2018 levels by 53% by 2050.

The industry currently uses post-consumer plastics as fuels instead of fossil fuels and incorporates byproducts from other industries, like sludge. However, some environmental groups have labelled cement made from industrial byproducts as ‘garbage cement’ claiming it contains hexavalent chromium levels more than four times the EU’s allowable limits. The use of plastics as alternative fuel has also sparked complaints from local waste collection and incineration companies, who argue that cement companies are taking away their business.

Professor Kim Jin-man from Kongju National University said "We also need to focus on developing high-performance clinker, advanced chemical admixtures for concrete, and accelerators that shorten concrete curing times."

Mexico: The Secretariat of the Environment (Sedema) has reported that over 5600 tyres collected from illegal dumps in the districts of Xochimilco and Gustavo Madero have been transported to a treatment plant to be used as an alternative fuel for cement production. This initiative is part of a strategy to manage tyre waste, supported by a collaboration with Geocycle Mexico. The effort aims to address public environmental issues caused by tyre disposal in public spaces and environmentally sensitive areas, potentially leading to wildfires. Sedema also plans to expand tyre collection through the Reciclatrón Program to promote comprehensive waste management and reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and mineral extraction.

India: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has decided to continue its partnership with Dalmia Cement, allowing the company to receive an additional 70,000t of refuse derived fuel (RDF) from a temporary transit station at Gadakana. This decision comes as part of ongoing efforts to manage the substantial amount of RDF generated from daily waste processing, according to the New Indian Express.

An official from the civic body said "As the waste-handling site receives around 450t/day of garbage, we have agreed to allow Dalmia to take another 70,000t of waste. Previously, we had signed a contract with the company to send 70,000t of RDF to its Rajgangpur factory for co-processing within nine months. In the last six months, around 50,000t of waste has been sent."

Switzerland: Holcim plans to invest around US$278m in its three Swiss cement plants to reduce the use of fossil fuels in cement production and comply with future limits set by the Swiss Air Quality Control Ordinance. The ‘Phoenix’ project alone is expected to cost between US$78 and US$111m, according to Clemens Wögerbauer, chief commercial and sustainability officer at Holcim Central Europe West.

The Phoenix project will reduce the use of lignite for heating cement kilns. A gasifier will be constructed to process waste materials like residual wood, paper sludge and plastics into synthesis gas for heating the kilns. Additionally, a catalyst powered by the kiln's waste heat will be used to reduce nitrogen and ammonia emissions, aligning with future Swiss environmental targets. The Siggenthal plant is expected to reduce its CO₂ emissions by over 30,000t/yr from its current output of 450,000t/yr.

The new facility is scheduled to start operating in 2028 and may be replicated in other Holcim cement plants if successful. The Phoenix initiative will increase the proportion of alternative fuels used from the current 57% to 80%, targeting over 85%.