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4 July 2008 Waste: MEPs tackle Europe’s growing waste mountain

MEPs have endorsed new EU rules designed to tackle the 1.8bnt of waste generated each year in Europe. The vote on 17 June 2008 followed a series of negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers (representing the EU’s 27 Member State governments), given that both Parliament and the Council have to agree the new rules before they can come into effect. Among the main aspects of the new rules, as voted for include: A 50% target to re-use or recycle waste materials such as paper, metal or glass from households by 2020; A 70% target to re-use or recycle non-hazardous construction and demolition waste, also by 2020; An obligation on EU Member States to set up waste management plans and waste prevention programmes; A setting-up in law of a five-category hierarchy for dealing with waste. In order of preference: prevention; re-use; recycling; recovery; safe and environmentally-sound disposal.

A majority of MEPs also backed a definition of incineration as a ‘recovery’ operation, provided it meets certain energy efficiency standards. This was the second reading in the European Parliament where each amendment adopted needed at least 392 votes (50% + 1). The text now passes to the Council of Ministers, which is expected to confirm the vote at one of its next meetings.

4 July 2008 Report into the use of alternative fuels in Chinese cement industry published

A new report entitled 'Use of alternative fuels in cement manufacture: Analysis of fuel characteristics and feasibility for use in the Chinese cement sector' has been published by researches at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The authors of the report, which can be downloaded at http://china.lbl.gov/files/LBNL%20525E.%20Use%20of%20Alternative%20Fuels%20in%20Cement%20Manufacture.%20Jun2008.pdf, are Ashley Murray and Lynn Price.

4 July 2008 Lafarge pushes forward with plan to stop hearing

Lafarge isn't backing down from its efforts to stop a hearing into a plan to burn scrap tires at its Bath cement plant. Lafarge, which has operations in nearly 50 countries, announced it will go to the Ontario Court of Appeal in an effort to reverse a 18 June 2008 decision by Ontario's Divisional Court. That ruling allowed a citizen-led appeal of Lafarge's proposal to burn tires, plastics, bone meal and other waste in its cement kiln to go ahead. The Environmental Review Tribunal, to be held over two-and-a-half months, is set to begin 22 September 2008.

Lafarge spokesman Rob Cumming said the company has already gone to great expense to compile expert reports on the alternative fuel technology for the Ministry of the Environment and doesn't see that it should have to duplicate that work at a hearing. "We're pursuing the appeal ... because we see this decision as very problematic for business investment," he said. Cumming said the technology Lafarge plans to use to burn the waste is safe. Lafarge fuels kilns by burning scrap tires at plants around the world. "We are absolutely convinced based on our experience everywhere else that we can have great results," he said.

Cumming describes the hearing process as expensive, divisive and adversarial. He said Lafarge would much rather go through a mediation process with the tribunal as a cheaper way to address citizens' concerns. "Instead of the public being central, it's lawyers that are central in the appeal process," he said. "We think the public has had a chance to have their concerns raised. They've been addressed. We'd love to sit down with the public ... instead of feeling like a court process, it would be more like sitting down and working out our questions."

Opponents of the plan are skeptical. "Those are words, but the actual actions of the corporation and the Ministry of the Environment [have] been to ... stop the hearing from beginning," said Mark Mattson of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, one of the environmental groups pushing for the hearing. After negotiating through the summer last year, Mattson said Lafarge decided it would legally try to stop the hearing. The parties are now waiting to learn if Lafarge's decision to go to the Ontario Court of Appeal this month will delay the hearing from starting in September. "I guess that's the next shoe to drop ... we're going to oppose and try to get on with the hearing," said Mattson.

Lafarge has already successfully delayed the start of the hearing once. It had been originally scheduled to start in April, but Lafarge's leave to appeal with Ontario's Divisional Court pushed the hearing back. "Whenever there's one of these appeals underway, it brings into questions whether we'll get the evidence heard [at a hearing] ," said Mattson. He said the matter could go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

30 June 2008 Alcoa operations benefits cement industry

Production wastes from Alcoa's Brazilian refineries and smelters are being diverted from landfills and converted into commercially viable products - minimizing their environmental impact and providing new sources of revenue. One of Alcoa's key sustainability goals is to have zero landfilled waste by 2015. To help achieve that goal, the company has developed a global framework for evaluating and then commercializing its industrial waste for re-use in other industries. There are six stages to the process - concept development, feasibility and lab work, testing, pilot plant demonstration, plant re-use demonstration and implementation.

In Brazil, Alcoa's department of applications, development and special product sales has made significant progress in converting a number of major refining and smelting wastes into commercial products. Carbon cryolite, a byproduct of the Soderberg smelting process, is now used as an alternative fuel in cement making. Alcoa's Pocos de Caldas smelter sells about 1000t of the material each month, which will allow it to eliminate all of its stored cryolite - which the smelter has not produced since 2003 - by mid-2009.

Since 2004, Pocos de Caldas has been selling all of its aluminum oxide dust, fine particles produced in the refining process, collected from the calciner department at the refinery as an alumina source for the enrichment of chamot - an inexpensive refractory aggregate. A second application for dust is being developed for the Alcoa smelter in Sao Lus, Brazil, which is located too far from most refractory producers. Sao Lus is currently selling the coal dust generated from its boilers as another alternative fuel source for the cement industry. Almost 12,000t of the dust is being diverted from the landfill each year.

The Brazilian locations are also investigating several potential commercial applications for bauxite residue, the largest volume waste of the refining process. They are working closely in this effort with Alcoa's Australian researchers, who are also developing processes to convert the residue into a raw material for a variety of applications. Primary initiatives include converting the residue for use in the ceramic tile, agriculture, and cement industries.

29 June 2008 Waste plan in Philippines given the ‘green light’

Iloilo City city council has authorised Mayor Jerry P Treñas to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Holcim Corp, calling for the shipment of 100t of plastic garbage taken from the city’s dumpsite to be used as fuel at Holcim’s cement plant in Lugait, Iligan City, Mindanao. The MOA was approved by the Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) and the Solid Waste Management for Local Government Units project, assisted by the German-funded GTZ.

City councilor Eldrid Antiquerra, chairman of the committee on environment and the main proponent of the agreement’s committee report, said the project will have a test period of 100 days in shipping out the plastic garbage taken out from the old dumpsite at Barangay, Calajunan, Mandurriao district.
Earlier, Treñas disclosed that a pre-test run conducted in April 2008 was able to send 20t of plastic garbage to Holcim in Iligan and tested as the factory’s fuel in cement manufacturing. The test run was successful, prompting Holcim to eye Iloilo City’s plastic garbage as an important alternative fuel.
The city dumpsite is receiving some 150 to 170t of garbage everyday collected from public markets, shopping malls and residences. Plastic waste makes up of more than 50% of the collected garbage.
The project is expected to minimise the volume of collected garbage at Calajunan as the city is preparing to enforce the rehabilitation and closure plan of the old dumpsite in preparation for full implementation of a sanitary landfill in the area. The plan includes the covering of some three hectares of cleared dumpsite area with soil taken from the Iloilo flood control project site in Jaro and will be developed as rice terraces with trees and flowers. This is expected to later become an eco-tourism park.

The city government has already constructed a perimeter fence around the dumpsite area and acquired an assistance loan of US$2m from the World Bank to buy heavy equipment such as two dumptrucks and one backhoe excavator. It is also planning to buy two bulldozer compactors and a weighbridge.

28 June 2008 200,000t of waste utilised by ACC

Indian cement firm ACC, which uses waste as a substitute for hydrocarbon fuel at five of its 11 cement plants across India, has procured over 200,000t of waste to make cement. Waste such as cow dung, old shampoo, soap, paint sludge as well as municipal waste are fed into furnaces that burn lime into cement. The company has also set up an alternative fuels and raw material division for waste management.

27 June 2008 Semapa animal waste deal

Portuguese cement and construction group Semapa said on 6 June 2008 that it would acquire local animal waste processor Grupo ETSA. According to Semapa, Grupo ETSA offers integral and environmentally sustainable solutions in the treatment of waste. The transaction envisages an enterprise value of Euro59.9m for Grupo ETSA from 30 November 2007, which accounts for an equity value of Euro47.9m. The operation will be subject to a due diligence, and an approval on the part of competition watchdog Autoridade de Concorrencia.

26 June 2008 Performance Plants develops biomass fuel pellets for Lafarge

Lafarge North America Inc, and Performance Plants Inc (PPI), a Kingston-based biotechnology company, have announced a multi-year agreement to grow and develop clean energy biomass grasses and woods for use as fuel at the Lafarge cement plant in Bath. For Lafarge, the joint project is part of the company’s ongoing public commitment to reduce its carbon footprint including the use of renewable and local fuel alternatives.

Robert Cumming, environmental and public affairs manager at the Lafarge cement plant in Bath, said: “The future of the environment, our business and the communities we serve depends on reducing the need for fossil fuels to run our operations. We are proud to team up with PPI which has extensive knowledge in biomass technology.” The companies are also partnering with the Sustainable Bioeconomy Centre at Queen’s University and the University of Guelph, Kemptville Campus, to further evaluate the programme with a special focus on assessing the full potential of non-food plant species as fuel.

For PPI, the four-year agreement is an opportunity to create enhanced non-food crops that are able to be grown on less productive farmland. By combining crop types and PPI’s unique trait technologies, fuel users will be able to create a customised biomass fuel to meet their specific needs.
“Our challenges with biomass and biofuel energy are maximisation of crop yields, crop consistency and cost efficiency,” explains Peter Matthewman, president of PPI. “This is where our technology will be instrumental to develop next generation seeds that are customised for specific industrial users looking for alternative clean energy sources. Biomass-derived biofuels provide a sustainable and economically viable solution for reducing global carbon emissions.”

John Gerretsen, MPP for Kingston and The Islands, praised the initiative; saying “I commend Lafarge and PPI as well and Queen’s University and the Kemptville Campus of Guelph University for this innovative research project into sustainable energy sources,” he said. “This is exactly the kind of initiative that will contribute to achieving our greenhouse gas reduction objectives.”

By enhancing a crop’s own traits, PPI has a suite of patented weatherproof technologies that deliver more abundant, consistent and cost-effective harvests for farmers and feedstock suppliers. PPI is developing non-food biomass feedstocks that will be grown on land and under conditions less suitable for food or feed production. These optimised feedstocks will provide renewable alternatives for industries producing liquid transportation fuels and biochemicals as well as those seeking solid fuels to replace coal.

Non-food grass crops were planted in late May/early June 2008 on 25 acres (0.1km2) of land adjacent to the Lafarge cement plant and owned by the company. These included the perennial species miscanthus and switchgrass in addition to non-food, high biomass varieties of sorghum and maize. Poplar, willow and industrial hemp will be planted on land later in the season.
After harvesting, the bales will be processed into fuel pellets. These pellets will then be used by the Lafarge plant to fire its cement kiln. The company expects to conduct the first trial use in the autumn of 2009.

25 June 2008 Cemex test results support tyre-burning future

Emissions of nitrogen oxide in the air over the town of Rugby have been reduced significantly since Rugby Cement started burning tyres, according to its own figures. Cemex, which owns the Lawford Road plant, said the alternative fuel has been a huge success and is confident the results mean it can carry on burning chipped tyres on a permanent basis.

The figures show that nitrogen oxide levels have been reduced by 26% since it doubled its tyre-burning from three to six tons an hour. In total, emissions have been reduced by 40% and the use of fossil fuels by 24% since the tyre trials began in February 2007. In a statement, Cemex said: “The disposal of the 40m tyres scrapped each year in the UK remains a problem for society and land-filling has been outlawed for some time.

Both tyres and other alternative fuels, such as Climafuel, which is derived from household residual waste and commercial waste, help to reduce emissions.” The results will now go forward for public consultation and then submitted to the Environment Agency (EA), which will decide whether to allow Cemex to burn tyres permanently. The EA said that it is happy so far with Cemex’s progress.

15 June 2008 Municipal solid waste processing plant inaugurated

General (retired) S F Rodrigues, the Administrator of Union Territory, Chandigarh, and the Governor of Punjab have inaugurated a municipal solid waste processing plant in Dadu Majra in Sector 25 West, Chandigarh, India.The plant will provide eco-friendly alternative fuel as well as help rid the city of odours.

Set up at a cost of US$6.9m on 10 acres of land, the plant – which is the first of its kind in northern India – has the capacity to process 50t/d of municipal solid waste, which will be converted into refuse-derived fuel to be used in a thermal power plant in Ropar and a cement plant owned by the Jaypee Group in Himachal Pradesh. Mr Pradeep Mehra, advisor to the Administrator, said that leaves shed by trees in the city, which has been labelled as the greenest city in India, shall also be processed into fuel pellets at the plant.

30 May 2008 Sludge-burning proposal questioned in Maidencreek

Lehigh Cement Co is seeking permission from the state Department of Environmental Protection to burn a sterilised, dried and pelletised form of sewage sludge.

A proposal to burn processed sewage sludge for fuel at the Lehigh Cement Co. plant in Evansville has prompted questions from Maidencreek Township officials and some residents. Lehigh Cement has applied to the state Department of Environmental Protection for a permit to burn Class A biosolids, which are a sterilised, dried and pelletised form of sewage sludge.

Lehigh Cement officials see the burning as safe, economical and good for the company and the environment. "Europeans in general have been doing this for five to 15 years," Evansville plant manager Christoph Streicher said. "It’s seen by the community and industry as a good thing to do." But in a letter to the DEP in March, Maidencreek Township supervisors raised the same concerns two residents expressed at supervisors’ meetings this year. Those focused on emissions and effective monitoring of the burning, along with the Evansville plant’s proximity to Lake Ontelaunee, Reading’s water source.

The Lehigh Cement plant in Union Bridge, Maryland., has been burning Class A biosolids for more than two years, and monitoring of emissions there has not revealed any problems, according to James E. Slater Jr., the environmental compliance officer for Carroll County, Maryland. In Pennsylvania, the DEP has sole responsibility for overseeing smokestack emissions.

Roger Fitterling, an air-pollution control engineer at the DEP office in Reading, said he knows of no other sites in Pennsylvania that are burning biosolids for fuel. The Evansville plant already burns tires as an alternative fuel without problems with heavy metals or other emissions, Streicher said. "They would shut us down if we exceeded the limits," he said. "We are heavily, heavily controlled."

Streicher said that a test burning of 1000t of biosolids was successful, and a second burning of 1500t was planned. If the permit is approved in time, the plant could begin full-scale burning of biosolids later this year, he said. Charles Bortz, environmental coordinator at the Evansville plant, said the process has several benefits, including reducing the need for coal and providing a better outlet for sludge than disposing of it in a landfill or spreading it on farmland. And the ash that is left after burning is mixed into the cement product, which means nothing remains after the limestone and other ingredients have gone through the kiln, Streicher said.

Kurt Deery, an environmental engineer at the Maryland plant, said biosolids have proved to be an inexpensive fuel. "We just pay part of the cost of the freight," Deery said.

In their letter to the DEP, Maidencreek supervisors also brought up what they referred to as "process control issues" at Lehigh Cement that caused a cloud of fine limestone dust to be released in September 2006. The material covered vegetation, buildings and vehicles and provoked outcries from some residents. Streicher said a fuel source such as coal or biosolids would not be released into the atmosphere. "If it were a problem with the burning, the heat source would shut down," he said. The DEP has not ruled on the permit but hopes to do so soon, Fitterling said.

The Berks County commissioners have taken no official stand, pending the outcome of the permit review by the DEP and a consultant hired by the county.

28 May 2008 Cemtrex joins Chicago Climate Exchange

Cemtrex Inc. has become an associate member of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), the world's first and North America's only voluntary, legally binding integrated greenhouse gas emissions reduction, registry and trading system.

CCX is a financial institution whose objectives are to apply financial innovation and incentives to advance social, environmental and economic goals. CCX operates a cap-and-trade system. Members who beat the targets have surplus allowances to sell or bank, and those who have emissions above the targets must purchase CCX Carbon Financial Instrument contracts to achieve compliance. Third-party verification is provided by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which is the leading financial regulator in the United States.

By joining the CCX, Cemtrex has further strengthened its commitment to developing turnkey projects that allow its customers to create and monetise carbon assets and provide consulting services on projects for generation of
Carbon credits from reduction of greenhouse gases, energy efficiency and alternative fuels. Cemtrex will now be able to assist project owners in trading carbon credits globally.

Cemtrex is also engaged in manufacturing and selling the most advanced instruments for emission monitoring of particulate, opacity, mercury, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, etc. and filtration products for the industry. The Company's products are sold to power plants, refineries, chemical plants, cement plants and other industries, including federal and state governmental agencies.

26 May 2008 Heracles Cement Q1 net falls to Euro1.3m on higher costs

Lafarge's Heracles General Cement Company SA said its first quarter net earnings after taxes fell to Euro1.3m from Euro18.7m booked over the same period in 2007. The company attributed the decrease to higher fuel and power costs as well as the unfavorable comparison to Q1 2007 where a one-off gain was booked from the sale of its participation in Metropolitan Car Enterprises.

Sales for the period edged 2.5% higher from last year to Euro168.4m while EBITDA fell to Euro23.1m from Euro37.7m booked in Q1 2007.

It added that results are not indicative of full year results, due to the seasonality of demand in its product. The company said it will continue to cut costs and improve efficiency. Its plans to implement alternative fuels is expected to reduce both carbon emissions and energy costs in the future.

23 May 2008 New attack on processing plant plan

A BID to build a fuel processing plant in Westbury has come under renewed attack from councillors, residents and nearby businesses. Hills Minerals and Waste Ltd is planning to build a UK£15m Mechanical Biological Treatment plant (MBT) on the Northacre Industrial Park, Westbury, near to residents and Westbury Dairies. The application will be considered by Wiltshire County Council at a future meeting.

MBT uses natural microbes within the waste to accelerate the decomposition process and once dried, the final material can be safely handled, and in this case used as a fuel by Lafarge Cement Works in Westbury.

West Wiltshire MP Dr Andrew Murrison met with the Ham Residents Group to discuss concerns over the location of the proposed plant, which the group feels is too close to people's homes. He said: "While I'm sure the plant involves safe technology, it is desirable that a site is chosen that will minimise the impact on people's lives."

West Wiltshire district councillor David Jenkins added: "To build a MBT on the Northacre Industrial Park that is so close to residents and Westbury Dairies is crazy, and these facts should have had more consideration at the time of the application.

"The proposed plant will take approximately 60,000t of household rubbish from over west Wiltshire and process it into approximately 30,000t of Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF), which will then be transported across Westbury to be burnt as an alternative fuel at Lafarge Cement works. I support the idea of a MBT but the problem I have is the location.

"I think it should be at Lafarge so that the whole process can take place on one site, which will bring many benefits such as helping to relieve the environmental issues and reduce the traffic congestion that will affect the town. My hope is that common sense will prevail." A spokesperson for Westbury Dairies said: "We have made a detailed objection to the planning application and we believe it is highly inappropriate that such a facility is being sited by a major food manufacturing plant."

A spokesperson for Environment Health at West Wiltshire District Council said: "We clearly want to ensure that any new process will not have an unacceptable impact on the local residents, businesses or the environment and consequently have asked for additional information on the possible emissions from the plant and the effectiveness of the proposed control measures."

A spokesman for Hills Minerals and Waste Ltd said: "We have carried out comprehensive impact assessments and believe that the Northacre site is the right one. The project is crucial to the future of sustainable waste management in west Wiltshire."

23 May 2008 China Energy first quarter results

China Energy Recovery, Inc. has announced 2008 first quarter financial results of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Poise Profit International Limited. Prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange Agreement among China Energy Recovery, Poise Profit and the shareholders of Poise Profit on 15 April 2008, Poise Profit was an independently operated company. Poise Profit reported an increase of 106% in consolidated revenue over the same period in 2007, with sales of US$4.2m and a net income of US$712,711.

After closing of the Share Exchange, the Company is emerging as an international leader in the design and construction of heat-energy recovery systems for a variety of sectors including the chemical, petrochemical, refining, paper and steel industries, with primary operations in Shanghai, China. The company announced the receipt of US$8.5m of outside financing earlier this year and intends to use the net proceeds of that financing to accelerate growth of its operations through its wholly-owned subsidiary, HAIE Hi-tech Engineering (Hong Kong) Company, Limited. Hi-tech is ramping its production efforts in order to deliver upon existing orders from a rapidly growing domestic and global customer base.

"We're encouraged by the increase we're seeing in our earnings relative to our order backlog, which is up significantly from last year," stated China Energy Recovery’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Wu Qinghuan. "We are confident that with our recent financing that is helping us raise our capacity output capability, and with our commitment for customer orders that we expect to increase through 2008 and beyond, China Energy Recovery will continue to grow and provide a valuable alternative energy solution for China and the rest of the world."

What is Energy Recovery?

Industrial facilities and power plants release significant amounts of excess heat into the atmosphere in the form of hot exhaust gases or high pressure steam. Energy Recovery is the process of recovering vast amounts of that wasted energy and converting it into usable electricity, dramatically lowering energy costs. Energy Recovery also captures the majority of carbon emissions and other harmful pollutants that would otherwise be released into the environment. It is estimated that Energy Recovery systems installed in US industrial facilities could produce up to 20% of US electricity needs without burning any additional fossil fuel, and could help many industries to meet stringent environmental regulations.

About China Energy Recovery, Inc.

CER is an international leader in energy recovery systems, with a primary focus on the Chinese market. CER's technology captures industrial waste energy to produce low-cost electrical power, enabling industrial manufacturers to reduce their energy costs, shrink their emissions footprint, and generate sellable emissions credits. CER has deployed its systems throughout China and in such international markets as: Egypt, Turkey, Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia. The Company focuses on numerous industries in which a rapid payback on invested capital is achieved by its customers, including: chemical, petro-chemicals, refining (including Ethanol refining), coke processing, and the manufacture of paper, cement and steel. CER continues to invest in R&D and plans to build China's first state-of-the-art energy recovery system research and fabrication facility to allow it to meet the increased demand for its products and services. For more information on CER, please visit: http://www.chinaenergyrecovery.com/s/Home.asp.

21 May 2008 Uganda's Hima to spend US$944,000 on alternative fuel

Suppliers of coffee, rice and timber husks to Hima Cement could earn US$944,000 annually, Bernard Osawa, the company's manager for alternative fuel, has said. Osawa said at the launch of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in Kampala that the husks would be used as alternative fuel for Hima's generators and would eventually replace the heavy-fuel oil.

The CDM project follows the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, which aims at rolling out best practices that will lead to reduction of industrial gas emissions by 5% between 2008 and 2012. The protocol asked developed and developing economies to adopt Joint Implementation and CDM for sustainable development and reduction of green house gas effects.

Osawa said the project would save more than US$3.1m in foreign exchange through Hima to spend US$944,000 per year on coffee, timber husks educed purchase of imported fuel. "In addition to massive environmental benefits, the CDM project presents benefits to the Ugandan economy through direct job creation," he said, adding that it was expected to create 100 jobs. These practices that include the use of alternative fuel, cement extension, development of biomass plantations and better disposal of industrial by-products like husks are also geared towards achieving sustainable development."

Osawa said Lafarge, Hima's parent company, was dedicated to decreasing carbon dioxide emissions by 20% between 1990 and 2010. By 2007, the reductions stood at 16%. "We aim at registering five projects, which target about 183,000t of carbon dioxide per year," he said. The cement industry contributes 5% to global carbondioxide emissions. The CDM project was vetted, approved and confirmed by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).

21 May 2008 Jaypee's municipal solid waste processing plant inaugurated

General (retd) S F Rodrigues, the Administrator Union Territory, Chandigarh and Governor of Panjab inaugurated the municipal solid waste processing plant in Dadu Majra in Sector 25 West, Chandigarh, India, on 21st May. "This project is for the benefit of the common man and only need is to sustain this project to make it a success," he added. This would not only rid the city of odours and pollution but would provide eco-friendly alternative fuel.

The plant, a public private initiative between Jaiprakash Associates Ltd and the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, has been completed in a stipulated time frame as per the agreement which was signed on 30th December 2005 and its foundation stone was laid by Gen Rodrigues on 21st February 2006, said Mr. Rajiv Gaur, President, Jaiprakash Associates Limited.

The plant shall be operational after about three months when complete process gets stabilised, he informed. Set up at a cost of Rs.30 crores on 10 acres of land, the plant which is one of its kind in northern India, has the installed capacity to process 50t/d per day of municipal solid waste, which will be converted into refuse-derived fuel to be used in a thermal power plant in Ropar and a cement plant of Jaypee Group in Himachal Pradesh.

Mr. Pradeep Mehra, Advisor to the Administrator, said that the leaves sheded by trees in the city, which is the greenest city in the country today, shall also be processed in the plant for converting to fuel pellets. Dr. Roshan Sunkaria, Commissioner, Municipal Commissioner, informed that the city has simultaneously launched another complimentary project at the site to cap 42 acres of landfill site, and make it usable for putting up playground or sports facilities. The plant is eco-friendly conforming to the norms laid down by Pollution Control Committee of Chandigarh Administration, and has been fenced, with green cover of trees planted around it to create the green buffer zone.

The plant is fully-covered to minimise exposure to atmosphere, and arrangements to spray culture on the garbage to eliminate insects, flies and odour have also been made. All critical equipment have been imported from Dopastadt Germany and the plant has been commissioned successfully in the supervision of German engineers, which has a fully-equipped laboratory, a workshop, and a fully-automatic control room, effluent treatment plant and fire safety equipment.

The project will give much needed relief to the residents of Chandigarh, and the localities near Dadu Majra waste dump site in particular, which suffered from methane emission due to anaerobic decomposition of MSW in uncontrolled open landfill site, which had so far been the only practice of disposal of garbage. The project shall also help in conservation of fossil fuels, enhance nations's energy security, prevent ground water contamination due to leakage of leachate, stop open dumping, enhance the city's aesthetics and overall hygiene of the area in and around the landfill sties, said Mr. Gaur.

The function was attended by Home Secretary Mr Sanjay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Mr. R.K. Rao, former Mayor of Chandigarh Mrs. Harjinder Kaur, municipal councillors, and various officers of the city. Jaypee Group a Rs.4,500 crores industrial conglomerate having rich presence in infrastructure, hydro-power, cement, education and hospitality sectors, embarking on environmental friendly projects to fulfill its social objectives, has taken up this project on BOOT basis - transforming challenges into opportunities - true to its reputation.

30 April 2008 Cement plant eyes plastic garbage as an alternative fuel

A cement manufacturing firm based in Iligan City is eyeing plastic wastes dumped at the Calajunan dumpsite in Mandurriao district as an important alternative fuel for the processing of cement. This was announced by city department of public services chief engineer Raul Gallo, after representatives of Holcim Philippines paid a visit to discuss possible cooperation and partnership on the elimination of plastic garbage at the city dumpsite.

The pre-test run was conducted after rebagging some 20t of garbage from the dumpsite starting 22 March 2008 and lasted until the end of that month. If the plastic discards are found suitable as an alternative fuel, the city government, Holcim and GTZ will draw up a memorandum of understanding for a 100 day partnership for the shipment of plastic wastes taken from Calajunan to the Iligan cement plant. The fuel test was slated for 4 April 2008 at the Holcim plant and samples must pass quality standards. Gallo said the city dumpsite is receiving some 150-170t of garbage every day collected from public markets, shopping malls and residences. Plastic waste makes up of more than 50% of the collected garbage.

Gallo also commented that the pilot project is expected to decrease the volume of collected garbage at Calajunan as the city is preparing to enforce the rehabilitation and closure plan of the old dumpsite in preparation for full implementation of a sanitary landfill in the area. Gallo added that the dumpsite will be covered with soil taken from the Iloilo flood control project site in Jaro and will be developed into an eco-tourism site, including the planting of rice terraces, trees and flowers. The Holcim team who visited Calajunan was headed by Ernesto C Paredes and Rosario Chan, both of the alternative fuels and raw materials group.

29 April 2008 Cemex Puerto Rico uses scrap tyres

Cemex SAB has started burning used tyres as a fuel in Puerto Rico, a move that is intended to relieve a garbage crisis, but has raised concerns about environmental and health risks. Cemex SAB’s plant in the southern city of Ponce is the first to burn scrap tyres for fuel in the US Caribbean territory.

Cemex Puerto Rico President Carlos Jacks said the move will eliminate a noxious waste product from the island’s garbage dumps. Puerto Rico, an island of nearly 4m people, generates about 5m used tyres annually and faces a severe shortage of space for its garbage. Currently, only about 10% of the island’s solid waste is recycled.

Environmentalists and a group of 81 Ponce residents have expressed concern that burning the tyres will cause pollution and respiratory problems. But Jacks says the plant will employ new pollution filters to contain emissions, and that it is complying with US Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

Cemex Puerto Rico will replace about 20% of the imported coal it had used to power the plant by incinerating 1.52m tyres per year in its cement kiln, the company said.

28 April 2008 Cemex UK granted permit to use climafuel permanently at Barrington cement works

Cemex UK, has been granted permission by the cement industry regulator, the Environment Agency (EA), to use a waste-derived fuel, Climafuel, to part-replace the fossil fuels used to heat the kiln at Barrington cement plant in Cambridgeshire. The permission was granted following completion of an extensive trial where Climafuel was used to replace 20% of fossil fuels, such as coal and petcoke, showing significant environmental benefits, including a marked reduction in emissions of oxides of nitrogen (13%), when Climafuel was in use.
Climafuel is an alternative fuel which is derived from household residual waste and commercial waste. It looks like shredded paper and consists of paper, cardboard, wood, carpet, textiles and plastics that have been through a treatment process. It is a solid, non-hazardous fuel from which recoverable materials have been removed for recycling.

Since the introduction of Climafuel, 10,000t of waste that would otherwise be landfilled (equivalent to 8% of Cambridgeshire’s annual landfill volume), have been used to make cement in Barrington. Based on the biomass content in the fuel, the use of Climafuel has also saved nearly 13,000t of CO, the same emissions as 4700 cars produce in a year.

The Barrington plant already has permission for another alternative fuel, Secondary Liquid Fuel (SLF), which replaces up to 40% of the fossil fuels required for the cement-making process. This means that when used together, SLF and Climafuel can substitute up to 60% of the fuel used to heat the kiln. This is significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the plant. Following the success of the trial to use Climafuel at a 20% replacement rate, CEMEX is now considering applying for permission to trial an increased rate.

22 April 2008 Joppa upgrade improves eco-footprint

Lafarge North America recently announced commencement of an upgrade at its Joppa, Illinois cement plant, bringing annual production to a projected 2Mt following completion of the US$415m modernisation in 2010. An air permit for the project was issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in mid-2007. The upgrade will enhance the plant’s environmental performance in terms of alternative fuels usage and emissions control, Lafarge officials note, as it contributes to the company’s overall cost-reduction initiative. A new kiln will use innovative processes, they add, allowing decreased imports to meet demand via high-efficiency, low-cost operations that also promote environmental sustainability.

20 April 2008 Ash Grove and FLS partner up

Cement and minerals technology supplier FLSmidth has received a plant upgrade contract from the US cement manufacturer Ash Grove Cement Company. The US$75m contract covers the modernisation and expansion of Ash Grove Cement’s existing plant in Foreman, Arkansas, and includes the replacement of three existing wet-process kilns with advanced pyro-processing technology, as well as the installation of an FRM raw mill, an ATOX coal mill and an OK finish grinding mill.
FLSmidth will also deliver various raw material stacking and reclaiming equipment, as well as training, project management and commissioning services. The upgrading will reduce the plant’s fuel consumption by 50%, while at the same time increasing production capacity by 70%.

16 April 2008 Sumitomo eyes large increase in wood fuels

Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co aims to increase use of wood biomass fuels by 10 times to 500,000t/y by 2010. The firm plans to increase the amount of scrap lumber and tree thinnings it procures by working closely with local municipalities where its plants are located. It is looking at signing an agreement with Tochigi Prefecture in 2008 that would allow it to use trees thinned within the prefecture as a fuel at its Tochigi plant.

Most thinned trees are simply discarded because they have limited use and are expensive to transport. Effectively exploiting this resource would help both the company, which is looking to reduce fuel costs, and the local municipalities, which want to use thinning to help maintain forests. Plans also call for increased purchases of wood chips and scrap lumber from construction materials plants and building sites. Non-coal-based fuels such as wood biomass and waste plastic accounted for 20% of the heat the firm used to make each ton of cement in 2006. It aims to boost this ratio to 40% in 2008 to help offset a sharp rise in the price of coal.

14 April 2008 Cimpor makes uses of hazardous waste

Portuguese cement producer Cimpor Cimentos de Portugal has started using hazardous waste recovery in its plant in Souselas, central Portugal, upon the fulfilment of the required conditions for the licensing of this process, Cimpor has announced. The hazardous wastes result from the treatment of hydrocarbon waste proceeding from several industrial sectors. These wastes are previously prepared by licensed waste management companies, under the current environmental legislation, in specialised hazardous waste recycling centres. Hydrocarbon wastes and similar substances, once prepared to be used as alternative fuels in the cement production process, become very close to the ones normally burnt in its clinker kilns. All emissions are strictly monitored, the company noted.

11 April 2008 Tyres for cement, Mexican-style

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in talks with municipal and state authorities from Juarez, in northern Chihuahua state, to implement a US$90,000 plan to recycle tyres abandoned at the local waste dump. Each of the three entities would invest U$30,000 to carry out the recycling plan, aimed at preventing smuggling and reducing pollution levels. The initiative would also complement a project being carried out by Mexican cement maker Cementos Chihuahua since 2004, in which the company uses abandoned tyres as a fuel alternative in its productive process. The manufacturer has processed 2m tyres so far and plans to use 1.8m tyres in 2008, more than double the volume of 2007.

10 April 2008 EcoSiam changes names to Geocycle

Siam City Cement (SCCC) has renamed its EcoSiam business unit Geocycle, in line with the policy of its major shareholder, Holcim, to focus more on waste management under a global brand that abides by international standards. Geocycle’s general manager, Ghassan Broummana, said: “This change is a major step to assure all of our practices will continue to meet international standards. Moreover, being part of the Geocycle global network, we have a unique line of access to the expertise and experience within our network facilities in more than 35 countries.”
The name change is expected to assure its clients that their waste materials will be co-processed in full compliance with all local regulations and environmental standards. “We aim to set the benchmarks of best practice in waste management in Thailand,” Broummana said.

SCCC established EcoSiam, a dedicated business unit responsible for alternative fuels and raw materials, in 2005 at a time when Thailand’s industrial waste output was increasing. It is estimated that Thailand generates more than 10Mt of industrial waste each year.

Under Holcim’s policy, SCCC is providing sound waste-management solutions through co-processing in its cement kilns. Those industrial wastes will be disposed in the kilns without residual ash, under extremely high temperatures of more than 1800°C. While the emissions are controlled, the wastes are turned into alternative fuels and raw materials for cement manufacture. The wastes include plastic, cloth, paint sludge, resins, melamine, contaminated soil and mud, and used tyres.

According to Vanchai Tosomboon, SCCC executive vice president for manufacturing, the co-processing of waste materials is a vital part of the firm’s sustainable-development initiatives: “Using waste materials in cement production as a replacement for coal will help us achieve reductions in CO2,” he said.

3 April 2008 Kenyan cement firm aims to increase its use of alternative fuels

Kenya’s Bamburi Cement Group plans to cut its annual carbon dioxide emissions from plants in Kenya and Uganda by 132,000t by reducing the use of fossil fuels in cement-making. Bamburi did not give an exact figure for its annual emissions but managing director Michel Puchercos put it at about 1.5Mt, based on the production of 1.5Mt of cement. The company, which is 60%-owned by Lafarge, plans to reduce its use of fossils fuels such as coal, and substitute it with wood from its own plantations as well as coffee, rice and cashewnut husks. The fuels are used to fire kilns that roast limestone, a key ingredient in cement.

Bernard Osawa, business manager in charge of alternative fuels, said: “In Kenya and Uganda Between now and 2010 we are targeting a redution of 132,000t of CO2. We are looking at three projects. They are in various stages of development.” Osawa said that cumulatively the company had cut its emissions by a total of over 111,000t of CO2 since 2002 at a cost of Euro3.8m and plans to invest another Euro14m euros in the next two to three years. The firm plans to substitute 20% of fossil fuel at its plant in the coastal city of Mombasa, which uses about 300t of coal a day. It also plans to substitute fossil fuel use by 50% in Uganda where it has its Hima Cement subsidiary.

The cement sector is one of the world’s largest producers of greenhouse gases, producing about 5% of global emissions. Cement production creates carbon emissions twice – first from burning coal to heat the limestone raw material, and again as the limestone separates into carbon dioxide and lime.

27 March 2008 Cauldron wins prestigious award for alternative fuels use

Cauldon cement works has won Lafarge UK’s top in-house award for the best use of alternative fuels. The awards are issued by Lafarge UK to works across the country and are backed up by global and regional plaudits. The 130-strong team at Cauldon made the site one of the top global performers thanks to its work on alternative fuels.

Cauldon uses a combination of coal and petcoke with scrap tyre chips and processed sewage pellets. Cauldron is also permitted to use recovered fuel oil and has submitted an application to the UK Environment Agency to use solid recovered fuel.

Jamie Randall, who heads up Lafarge Cement’s resource recovery businesses, says: “The use of these fuels offers many benefits. It’s a way of making positive use of suitable waste materials, it reduces the need to extract and transport virgin fossil fuels and enables the plant to maintain its environmental performance.” Cauldon produces up to 1Mt of cement a year. It supplies customers across the midlands and northern home counties.

27 March 2008 Pure Earth’s US$6.3m financing deal

Pure Earth, Inc, a waste recycling company, has announced that it has completed a US$6.3m financing package which will provide the capital to expand its existing operations and acquire new facilities. The financing deal will allow Pure Earth to start up a new waste processing company, Pure Earth Energy Resources Inc, that will recycle waste into manufactured fuel. The resultant alternative fuel will be sold to cement producers and others as an alternate fuel resource (AFR). AFR replaces the use of fossil fuel, lowers energy costs and contributes to the reduction of global warming.

The financing was done in the form of a preferred stock offering and included interest of 10% in cash and 4% payment in kind, with repayment due in March 2013. The offering from a Chicago investment fund has no convertible provisions and includes a warrant for 767,375 shares of common stock at various rates after 3 years with customary positive and negative covenants.

Commenting on the financing, Mark Alsentzer the CEO stated, “We are very pleased to have concluded this funding especially during a time of great uncertainty in the financial markets. These funds will provide the necessary capital to continue to grow our existing businesses and expand into new business lines.”

Pure Earth is significantly increasing its capacity to recycle refinery wastes at its 32 acre Vineland, New Jersey waste recycling complex. The refineries are large producers of waste materials that cannot be set to landfill in the US. Many refineries are sending their wastes to landfill sites across the boarder in Canada, a practice that will be disallowed in 2009. The company believes this will create a huge demand for its recycling services since the Vineland facility is one of a small handful of facilities with licenses and permits to treat and recycle these wastes. To further the company’s major expansion efforts in the area of recycling waste materials, Pure Earth also intends to partner with existing corporations as well as starting up the Pure Earth Energy Resources spin-off.

“These two business lines will be primary growth drivers for Pure Earth in the next two to five years. We believe they will both provide attractive profit margins and further, expect them to significantly contribute to Pure Earth’s bottom line.”