Displaying items by tag: Alternative Fuels
Egypt: Lafarge Egypt and Egyptian holding company Orascom Telecom Media (OTMT) and Technology Holding SAE have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a waste management framework of municipal and agricultural waste.
The memorandum, signed by Lafarge Egypt CEO Hussein Mansi and OTMT deputy CEO and COO Tamer el Mahdy, was created in an effort to process large volumes of municipal and agricultural waste into alternative fuels to be used in the Lafarge plant in Egypt and other companies.
The MOU represents a step towards sustainable development in the country and will begin the creation of a circular economy through the reduction of waste burning and dumping. The agreement will also create new employment opportunities and reduce the dependency on fossil fuels in the country.
Lafarge Cement Egypt has been providing thermal treatment solutions in Egypt for around three years in collaboration with its subsidiary Ecocem Industrial Ecology Egypt, which develops, sources and pre-treats solutions to facilitate the recovery of wastes into alternative fuels. Lafarge Egypt and Ecocem aim to achieve an average fuel substitution rate of 25% by the end of 2015.
Egypt: Arabian Cement plans to use alternative energy to increase its capacity to 100%, according to company CEO Jose Maria Magrina. The company is currently running at approximately 80% of its installed production capacity, with around 70% of the energy it uses being coal. In the meantime, 10% of its energy is reliant on alternative energy such as waste and biomass.
Arabian Cement is currently working on the completion of another installation that would enable the use of waste as alternative fuel, thus allowing its production capacity to reach 100%. The conversion will be completed within four weeks. "We can increase production the moment we finish our complete conversion to alternative fuels," said Magrina.
UK: Environment minister Mark H Durkan and Devendra Mody, industrial director at Lafarge Tarmac, have signed an agreement allowing the use of waste-derived fuels (WDF) at Lafarge Tarmac's cement plant in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The plant, which employs 86 people, currently uses coal for approximately 95% of its fuel. The agreement will see Lafarge Tarmac substitute up to 35% of its coal with WDF.
"The agreement will turn environment issues from barriers to business into economic growth opportunities. The deal is that the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) firmly regulates and reduces red tape. In turn, partner companies invest heavily in the environment," said Durkan. "Lafarge Tarmac is committing significant investment in the environment. In addition to many environmental benefits, it will reduce its carbon emissions from production by a minimum of 10%, equivalent to taking 6500 cars off the road. It will look at ways to reduce emissions from its transportation chain and has also committed to improving public access to rare geological features found in the Ballysudden Area of Sepcial Scientific Interest (ASSI), located in its Cookstown quarry and to work with key stakeholders to develop a renewable energy strategy and examine options for reducing packaging."
Suez Cement reports 11.5% gain in EBITDA for quarter four of 2014
27 February 2015Egypt: For the fourth quarter of 2014, Suez Cement reported a 2.5% year-on-year increase in revenues and 11.5% year-on-year growth in earnings before interest, tax and depreciation (EBITDA). Its net profit after non-controlling interests increased by 15.2% during the quarter.
For the entirety of 2014, Suez Cement's sales increased by 22%, while recurring EBITDA improved by 8.8% compared to 2013. However, higher corporate income taxes coupled with an absence of foreign exchange gains were responsible for an 8.4% drop in net profit after non-controlling interests. EBITDA gains were also driven by Suez Cement's downstream activities in transportation and ready-mix cements, as well as its paper bags subsidiary, which saw an EBITA increase of 26.5%. Cement activities accounted for a gain of 6.3%.
The strong revenue performance was largely due to cement price increases due to an unprecedented surge in production costs and product shortages. Overall, clinker production decreased as a result of severe energy supply issues that impacted each of Suez Cement's plants and subsidiaries differently. The Tourah plant felt the greatest pressure from expensive clinker imports that were necessary to satisfy Egypt's growing demand.
Suez Cement was also negatively affected by energy costs (gas, mazut and electricity) that rose by 25 - 35% in 2014. It did not let the economic pressures, including a 40% drop in industrial production capacity, impact its employment rates or benefits packages. This was partially due to Suez Cement's commitment to the implementation of energy-efficient processes throughout the five plants, as well as further emphasis and utilisation of alternative fuels, which helped mitigate the drop in production as well as limit the impact from growing clinker imports. Suez Cement will go ahead with the deployment of coal power at all five plants over the next two years, a factor that is also expected to put a stop to some importing activities.
Suez Cement believes that the construction industry's recovery will continue to attract new investment. This is in addition to positive economic growth thanks to Egypt's new-found government stability and the future implementation of several large national projects. However, power cuts and fuel shortages are likely to remain major issues for cement producers. Fuel and energy shortages will also prolong challenges to meeting cement production targets.
The recent closure of the Tourah I plant is one example of Suez Cement's continued commitment to reducing its environmental impact. The company remains focused on investing in energy-efficient initiatives and environmentally-sound programs. This includes developing alternative fuel strategies that incorporate waste-derived fuels and coal, which will shift the company's energy mix and improve its production capabilities by reducing dependence on natural gas and mazut.
Australia: Adelaide Brighton boss Martin Brydon said that he would pursue funding from the Abbott Government's US$2.55bn Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) as Adelaide Brighton accelerates its alternative fuel use to head off its rising gas bill. The ERF is the centre-piece of the government's direct action climate policy and the first auction for funding starts on 15 April 2015.
Adelaide Brighton has a total energy bill of around US$130m/yr. Brydon said that the group will save US$6m/yr from the repeal of the carbon tax. "We are energy-intensive and capital-intensive. Anything that happens that can reduce the cost of energy is critical," said Brydon.
Adelaide Brighton's Birkenhead cement plant in south Australia, which recently expanded its cement production capacity to 750,000t/yr, generates 15% of its energy from waste wood used in construction. Brydon said that he plans to take that number to 30% and that he 'will certainly' be bidding for grants from the ERF. "The cost of that waste wood energy is significantly below the cost of natural gas," said Brydon.
In 2014, Adelaide Brighton reported a 14.3% rise in net profit to US$136m and a 9% rise in revenue to US$1.06bn. The profit and revenue numbers were both records for the company, although after stripping out one-off items the underlying profit was US$132m. Strong residential housing activity in NSW and Queensland, work on the Pacific Highway upgrade and ongoing demand from resource projects in western Australia and the northern regions buoyed sales. Adelaide Brighton said that it expects price increases in 2015 across all of its products.
In August 2014 the company acquired two concrete businesses and a quarry. Brydon said that he is looking for other businesses to buy, but opportunities for quality long-term assets were 'few and far between.'
Belarus: Belarusian manufacturers are expected to export 1.8Mt of cement in 2015, including 1.3Mt to be supplied to Russia's Eurocement, according to Construction minister Anatol Chorny. Belarus sold 980,000t of cement to Eurocement in 2014. Belarus' cement output is expected to total 6.1Mt in 2015, up from 5.8Mt in 2014.
"This year we have signed an exclusive contract for the supply of 1.3Mt," said Chorny. "The contract is advantageous to Belarus because 50% of the total amount shall be paid in advance and the rest shall be paid within 10 days of the delivery date. If the price of cement in the Russian market is lower than in Belarus, the Russian company will cover the losses. If the price will be higher, the difference will be equally divided." Belarus will also export cement to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, Poland and Lithuania in 2015.
Belarus' AAT Krychawtsementnashyfer in Krychaw, Mahilyow, operated at a loss in 2013. This was caused by its old production plant, which still uses natural gas to manufacture cement. In contrast, the company's new production facility generated a profit of about Euro676,000 in 2014. To reduce the cost of cement production, Krychawtsementnashyfer installed a cement kiln fuelled by waste tyres in 2014 and plans to start using coal dust as a fuel in 2015, according to Chorny.
Kuusakoski’s revenues grew by 20% in 2014
03 February 2015Lithuania: Finnish-owned Lithuanian recycling services company Kuusakoski saw its revenues grow by 21% year-on-year to Euro32.5m in 2014. Its annual profit doubled to approximately Euro0.29m.
The company's performance has improved amid changes in the scrap metal purchase market, in particular the bankruptcy of Liepajas Metalurgs in 2013 and the exit of one more company from the Lithuanian market in 2014, Paulius Juska, according to Kuusakoski CEO Verslo Zinios. In 2015, Kuusakoski expects the waste tyre collection business to fuel its growth.
"We hope that Akmenes Cementas will resume burning waste tyres at its cement plant this year. If that is the case, we could supply tyres to the facility. It would enable us to increase the quantities of tyres that we collect and to generate more revenues from car service centres for the collection of old tyres and their supply to the disposal facility," said Juska.
Cementos Argos persists with waste tyres scheme
02 February 2015Colombia: Cementos Argos innovation vice-president Camilo Restrepo has persisted with a project to use waste tyres as an alternative fuel in Colombia. Some 120,000 - 130,000/yr tyres are wasted in Colombia.
Cementos Argos is already using waste tyres as fuel in the US and Honduras and says that the same will be done in Colombia. It put forward its plans to local associations and has been discussing these for five years. Cementos Argos could use 60,000 - 70,000t/yr. Its kilns will have to be adapted at cost of US$5 – 20m each. It will start with its unit in Rioclaro, where tests are underway already. The plant can use 15,000 - 20,000t/yr of waste tyres.
US: The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has granted approval for Lafarge North America to use scrap plastic and asphalt shingles at its cement kilns in Alpena, Michigan State.
Lafarge had requested to be allowed to burn additional fuels in the five cement kilns at its cement plant. Prior to receiving approval to use plastics and shingles as a fuel, the company had used coal, petroleum coke, clean wood and non-halogenated polyethylene and polypropylene as fuel. In its application, Lafarge said that it could use nearly 140,000t/yr of plastics, more than 82,000t/yr of wood and 54,673t/yr of shingles as a replacement fuel for the coal and coke.
Lafarge was issued a permit in 2012 to install technology to allow for a trial burn of shingles in the kilns. The permit required Lafarge to conduct stack testing for emissions of concern from the combustion of shingles. The emissions testing demonstrated that the emissions were less than what Lafarge had originally estimated, according to the DEQ.
Following analyses conducted by the DEQ, staff concluded that the proposed project would comply with all applicable federal air quality requirements and with all of the Michigan DEQ Air Quality Division regulations. The staff concluded that the project, as proposed, would not violate the federal policies.
N+P announces further co-operation with Dyckerhoff
09 January 2015Germany: N+P has announced that it will expand its cooperation for the delivery of high quality Subcoal® pellets with Dyckerhoff in Germany.
Subcoal is produced at the Qlyte plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The Qlyte facility produces about 65,000t/yr of Subcoal pellets, consuming around 100,000t/yr of non-recyclable paper-plastic waste fractions that otherwise would have ended in landfill or waste incineration. The Subcoal is used to replace lignite dust or bituminous coal at cement kilns, power stations and lime kilns.
Dyckerhoff started to use Subcoal in 2013. N+P and Dyckerhoff have since worked together to improve the alternative fuel for optimal use in its kilns. The cooperation has led to a new Subcoal fuel that is used at the Dyckerhoff kiln in Lengerich. The kiln in Geseke will continue to use the standard Subcoal quality.