Displaying items by tag: Spain

Spain: The regional government of Extremadura has granted a licence to Cementos Balboa for the use olive pumice and tyres as alternative fuels (AF) at its Alconera cement plant. Agencia EFE has reported that the company has begun work on modifications to the plant’s kiln line in order to enable it to reach a thermal substitution rate of 70%. The project includes building reception, storage, dosage and injection units for the fuels. Once complete the plant aims to process 130,000t/yr of olive pomace, 121,000t/yr of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and 69,000t/yr of tyres. The plant currently uses petcoke.

France: Norway-based Geminor subsidiary Geminor France has dispatched a truckload of solid recovered fuel (SRF) to a cement plant in Spain. The SRF is made from wood and textile foam from used furniture. The company says that the delivery is the first of continual 100t/week of exports to the producer. It is also exporting waste-derived fuels from France to other countries in Europe including Denmark.

Senior account and development manager Kai Schöpwinkel said, “There is a positive development at the moment in regards to better collecting and sorting of French waste. Now there is a focus on increasing the combustion capacity for energy recovery, and new waste-to-energy plants are being developed. Stricter requirements from the Government and the European Union (EU) also give incentives to develop high-quality fractions such as SRF based on furniture. The goal is to reduce landfill by 50% by the end of 2025, which will also make France into a growing market for export.” He added, “Covid-19 is leading to a waste deficit in the European market, which is now contributing to the opening of new waste streams from France. We believe this is just the beginning of a growing waste export from this country.”

Spain: The Municipal Planning Department of Córdoba (GMU) has repealed Cementos Cosmos’ licence to burn alternative fuels in the cement kiln of its integrated Córdoba plant because it “goes against the provisions of the current General Urban Development Plan”, according to Europa Press. The decision marks a victory for local campaign group Córdoba Aire Limpio, which has been campaigning to stop waste being burned at the cement plant since a previous authorisation was issued in 2007.

Spain: Cementos Portland Valderrivas has announced plans to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of its 1.6Mt/yr integrated Alcalá de Guadaíra cement plant in Andalusia by 40% through the substitution of biomass for coal in its kiln lines. The company said that it regretted the confusion caused by “manipulation of information” around the plans in a local environmental group’s communiqué. It said, “the plant has all the permits and the cement group is looking forward to this new challenge.

Spain: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim subsidiary Geocycle has commissioned an UNTHA XR3000C shredder at its Albox waste processing plant in Almeria. The 15,000t/yr shredder will process domestically-produced commercial and industrial waste, including oil- and solvent-contaminated textiles, plastics, paper and cardboard, into fuel suitable for co-processing at any of LafargeHolcim’s five Spanish cement plants. Geocycle Operations Manager Raúl Lannegrand said, “Co-processing is recognised by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Basel Convention and the European Commission as a practical, cost-efficient, safe and environmentally-preferred waste treatment method, so it was important for us to make the most of the landfill diversion opportunity we had identified in Spain.”

Spain: 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.”

Spain: Members of the Spanish cement association Oficemen have offered help to the government in the disposal of medical waste contaminated with the coronavirus, for which any kiln line with the right alternative fuel processing capabilities will be made available. Minister for Industry Reyes Maroto said that the plants will be used for waste’s elimination ‘only insofar as companies can continue operating.’

Spain: Holcim España has reported that it has achieved a 10,000t reduction in CO₂ emissions at its 1.5Mt/yr integrated Carboneras plant in Almeria in 2019 by the 30% (60,000t) substitution of alternative fuels for coal throughout the year. Agencia Efa newspaper has reported that the switch was the result of a Euro0.88m upgrade to the kiln line as a part of LafargeHolcim’s Euro20m investment in measures to reduce its Spanish carbon footprint by 90,000t/yr. This also includes the introduction of plant-derived biomass to the Carboneras line by the end of 2020, at an estimated cost of Euro3.1m.

Spain: Brazilian-based Votorantim Cimentos’ subsidiary Cemento Cosmos has received authorisation for the combustion of tyres to fuel the kilns at its 1.6Mt/yr Toral de los Vados plant in León. Diario del León has reported that the government of Castile and León will complete bureaucratic procedures finalising the permit before 25 December 2019.

Spain: Germany’s HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary FYM is now burning over 50% refuse-derived fuel (RDF) mixes in the kilns at its 1.6Mt/yr integrated Málaga plant in Andalucía. Sur has reported that the RDF consists of car parts, including tyres, and pomace from olive oil production.