Displaying items by tag: Emissions
National Cement Company of Alabama’s Ragland cement plant upgrade to reduce CO2 emissions by 40%
25 July 2022US: National Cement Company of Alabama has reported that the new kiln line at its Ragland cement plant will reduce the plant’s CO2 emissions by 40%. Its energy consumption will also fall by 30% as a result of the upgrade. The new line includes a 78m-high homogenisation silo, vertical crusher, five-stage preheater and automated clay storage system. AF used in the kiln will include waste tyres, woodchip and sawdust. The new kiln will help in the Ragland cement plant’s transition to 100% Portland limestone cement (PLC) production by 2023, further diminishing its carbon footprint.
Vicat CEO Guy Sidos said "Our ambition is to use AF in all our cement plants around the world. In addition to eliminating fossil fuel energy and replacing it with recycled regional waste, our investments contribute directly to local development. We are proud of the modernisation and transformation of our Ragland site, which was our very first acquisition outside France in 1974."
Mexico: Cemex reported 29% alternative fuel (AF) substitution in its global operations in 2021, according to its Integrated Report for the year. The report stated that the group reduced its CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious material by 4.7% year-on-year.
Taiwan Cement commences construction of waste processing plant and ecopark at Hualien cement plant
07 October 2021Taiwan: Taiwan Cement has commenced the construction of a US$143m waste processing plant and ecopark at its 1.6Mt/yr Hualien cement plant. Japan-based Kawasaki Heavy Industries provided the design for the facility and visitor attraction. When commissioned, the plant will supply the Hualien cement plant with 200t/day of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) produced from municipal solid waste from Hualien. Taiwan Cement estimates that the move will eliminate 40,000t/yr of CO2 emissions from the plant’s operations.
Holcim Russia envisions 15% emissions reduction by 2030 and carbon neutral cement production by 2050
05 October 2021Russia: Holcim Russia has committed to realising a 15% CO2 emissions reduction in its cement production between 2019 and 2030 to 475kg/t from 561kg/t. It plans to further reduce its cement’s CO2 emissions to 453kg/t by 2050, and to implement further measures to ensure its net carbon neutrality at that time.
Corporate relations director Vitaly Bogachenko said “The company's goal is to drastically reduce carbon emissions, and there are two working solutions for this. The first is the use of alternative fuels (AF) obtained from different types of waste: residues of municipal solid waste after sorting and extraction of all useful fractions from them, used tyres and others. The presence of biomass in them makes such fuels carbon neutral, so emissions during production are significantly reduced. The second solution is to replace carbon-intensive raw materials. For example, instead of limestone, we use slags. The recipe for the cement is completely different - thanks to the new composition and the lower temperature during the firing process, the carbon footprint in the production of cement is reduced.”
Hanson and the Mineral Product Association complete hydrogen-fuelled cement production trial
30 September 2021UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has announced the successful completion of a trial of cement production using a net-zero fuel mix consisting of hydrogen and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) at Hanson’s Ribblesdale, Lancashire, cement plant. The RDF in the mix consists of meat and bone meal (MBM) from the food industry and glycerol from biodiesel production.
Increased alternative fuel (AF) substitution is one of seven key levers in the MPA’s Roadmap Beyond Net Zero emissions reduction strategy. The association says that the fuel will eliminate 180,000t/yr of CO2 emissions from the Ribblesdale plant’s operations when fully implemented. The project received Euro3.71m in government funding.
Hanson’s environmental sustainability manager Iain Walpole said “We are delighted to be involved with this world-leading project, which is a further example of our commitment to cutting CO2 emissions.” He added “It will also contribute to our ambition of supplying net zero carbon concrete by 2050.”
Entsorga installs AF line at Hungarian plant
23 April 2020Hungary: Italy-based Entsorga has completed the installation of an automated alternative fuel (AF) line at a Hungarian cement plant. The plant is believed to be Nostra Cement’s 1.0Mt/yr integrated Kiralyegyháza cement plant, which in early 2020 received an AF fuel store expansion aimed at bringing AF substitution rates to 80% from 60%. The upgrade consists of an Entsorga Spider crane and Pelican power system which will be able to maintain a continuous feed to the plant’s calcination system 24 hours a day.
Entsorga CEO Francesco Galanzino said, “Bringing a commission to a successful conclusion in the middle of the maximum intensity period of the coronavirus crisis has been a great satisfaction. The cement plant will make significant savings in CO2 emissions.”
Cementos Cosmos cuts 9650t of CO2 in 2019 with alternative fuel substitution at Oural plant
17 April 2020Spain: A 25% alternative fuel (AF) substitution rate has accounted for a 9650t reduction in CO2 emissions at Cementos Cosmos’ 0.7Mt/yr Oural, Galicia plant, lowering the specific CO2 emissions of its clinker by 45kg/t. A main constituent of the AF mix was olive stones. Cementos Cosmos Oural plant managing director Jaime Santoalla said, “At Cementos Cosmos, we accept our responsibility to meet the global objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Environmental Protection Agency postpones Limerick alternative fuels hearing due to coronavirus
14 April 2020Ireland: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has postponed a four-day hearing over Irish Cement’s alternative fuel (AF) licence application, scheduled for May 2020, to an as yet unspecified date due to the coronavirus. Under the terms of the proposed licence, Irish Cement will be able co-process a maximum of 90,000t/yr of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), including tyres, in the single dry line of its 1.0Mt/yr Mungret plant in County Limerick. The EPA said that emissions from operations under the terms of the licence ‘will meet all required environmental protection standards.’
Irish Cement received its preliminary licence to burn refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in September 2019. The move attracted local resistance, with 4500 people participating in a protest on 5 October 2019.
The EPA has said that it will give all relevant parties notice ‘well in advance’ of the date of the rescheduled hearing, which will take place after the government lifts the country’s coronavirus lockdown. On 14 April 2020 County Limerick had 234 coronavirus cases out of an Irish total of 10,647.
Ireland: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has scheduled a four-day oral hearing in which it will review Irish Cement’s application for a permanent licence to co-process a maximum of 90,000t/yr of tyres and other waste materials as fuel in the single dry kiln of its 1.0Mt/yr Limerick plant in County Limerick. Irish Cement received its preliminary licence to burn refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in September 2019. The Irish Times newspaper has reported that 5000 local residents have since petitioned the EPA against permitting the practice, including ex-Irish rugby international Paul O’Connell and a former Love Island contestant.
The EPA said that emissions from operations conducted in accordance with the proposed licence ‘will meet all required environmental protection standards.’
Vicem and FLSmidth target sustainable cement production
10 February 2020Vietnam: The Vietnam National Cement Corporation (Vicem) and Denmark-based supplier FLSmidth have announced a cooperation agreement with the aim of radically reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from cement production and improving air quality. The cooperation will consist of Vicem implementing solutions pioneered by FLSmidth. FLSmidth said that a key focus of the cooperation will be Vicat’s use of ‘municipal and other waste streams as alternative fuel sources,’ with the aim of achieving 100% substitution using FLSmidth solutions, in accordance with FLSmidth’s ambition ‘to enable cement companies to operate with zero emissions by 2030.’