Displaying items by tag: China

Japan: Austria-based Untha has awarded an exclusive distribution agreement in Japan to Axia. The distributor has taken delivery of a mobile Untha XR shredder for use as a demonstration unit at its customer sites and ordered six more models.

Axia CEO Kazunori Kawata said “China’s ban on waste plastic imports means Japan has sharpened up on its domestic recycling capabilities. The introduction of Untha’s engineering experience will really disrupt the market. Operators are starting to think differently about machine reliability, throughputs and lifecycle costs. As a nation, we must increase our productivity and capacity, and we need a different class of machine to be able to do this – one that is highly configurable, versatile and built to last. Output precision is also crucial.” He added “If Japan is to enhance its commitment to the environment, it is important that we seek to use energy efficient technologies within our waste and recycling facilities. Renowned globally for using 75% less energy than competitors’ diesel-hydraulic machines, the Untha XR shredder doesn’t just improve the net carbon impact of the process – it keeps fuel costs low, too. Some customers have been known to save US$135,000/yr in fuel costs alone.”

Poland: Lafarge Poland has laid the foundation stone for the Euro100m new kiln line at its Małogoszcz cement plant. The replacement of the three existing kilns and installation of an alternative fuel (AF) line aims to reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions by 20% and its energy consumption by 33%. The company, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim, aims to make the cement plant into one of the EU’s most modern. China National Building Material (CNBM) subsidiary Nanjing Kisen International Engineering will carry out the work, which is scheduled for completion in early 2023.

Project director Krzysztof Byczyński said “One of the three kilns has already been demolished and in its place a new kiln will be built with the necessary installations. Preparatory works for the construction of a new kiln are currently underway.”

China: E-cigarette producer RLX Technology has announced a planned investment of US$3.10m in a used vape pod recycling scheme. The company will supply the plastic waste for use as an alternative fuel (AF) in cement production. It has partnered with the China Siyuan Foundation for Poverty Alleviation to supply the cement produced to infrastructure projects in rural areas.

CEO Kate Wang said “As one of the most essential materials for infrastructure, cement is key to the rural economy. Thus, RLX Technology plans to donate the cement to build roads, bridges and clean lavatories to improve the life of rural citizens.”

RLX Technology will launch vape pod collection in Beijing in September 2021, followed by 10 other cities before February 2022.

China: Huaxin Cement has announced that it burned 2.7t of seized opiates in its fuel mix at its Diwei cement plant in Chongqing. Representatives of the Chongqing Anti-Drug Committee, Public Service Bureau, Eco-Environmental Bureau and Procuratorate were in attendance. Huaxin Cement reports that the dangerous substances have been “safely disposed of.” The producer said that this is the largest single volume of drugs to have been combusted in a cement kiln. The plant previously burnt 1.22Mt of illicit substances in 2018.

China: Huaxin Cement says that it has disposed of 55t of medical waste from coronavirus-infected hospitals in Wuhan province at its 3.4Mt/yr Yangxin cement plant in Hubei province. Xinhuanet News has reported that the plant’s precalciner and rotary kiln have safely processed the batch, from its delivery in sealed trucks, through the combustion of the waste and its packaging, into cement.

China: BBMG has sold its 49% stake in Beijing BBMG Mangrove to Jidong Cement for US$242m. Beijing BBMG Mangrove is principally engaged in the collection, storage and processing of poisonous and hazardous wastes.

China: Researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have produced clinker by burning fuel containing 20% post-consumer wood-derived fuel (WDF), reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 16% compared to the same fuel blend without WDF, at no cost to product quality. VerticalNews has reported that the combustion also emitted mercury, cadmium, thallium and other heavy metals respectively at a rate of 2%, 21%, 6% and 7% of China’s specified limits.

The findings follow research from Tsinghua University aimed at ascertaining the total process-related, direct fossil fuel-related and indirect electricity-related emissions of China’s cement sector. Since the government committed to a reduction compared to its 2005 per capita CO2 emissions of 40 - 45% by 2020 and 60 - 65% by 2030, China’s cement-related emissions peaked in 2014. The research, funded by various Chinese public bodies as well as the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Natural Environment Research Council, indicated that historical emissions growth was driven by economic growth, offset in recent years by improved intensity and efficiency. The outsourcing of cement capacities to less developed regions with less accurate recording methods may have precipitated the trend.

Bio-derived fuels from the growing consumer sector may help China to establish itself as an innovator of green cement solutions.

China: China Shanshui Cement has started a strategic cooperation agreement with China Conch Ventures to jointly develop projects to coprocess industrial solid and hazardous waste at its cement plants. It also covers the joint construction of upstream and downstream industrial chains. The agreement is for plants in Shangdong and the northeast of the country.

China: Huaxin Cement has released an Environment Impact Report for a proposed domestic waste co-processing project at its Huangshi plant in Hubei province. The project will process 3000t/day of waste for the plant’s 2.85Mt/yr production line.

China: CNBM has entered into a joint venture with Conch Ventures to establish a business processing solid waste to support co-processing at its cement plants. The new company will process at least 3Mt/yr of solid waste.