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.’

Ghana: The Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP) is due to begin commercial production of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), a form of fuel obtained from recycled waste that can be used by the cement industry. The venture, according to ACARP, will considerably augment the coal needs of local cement producers when commercialised, at a much lower price than coal. The RDF will comprise a combination of highly-combustible waste and textile waste, with this type of waste constituting about 30% of the material handled by ACARP.

Michael Padi Tuwor, ACARP’s General Manager, said that the recycling plant currently handles 600t/day of waste, recycling around 80% of it. He said that RDF would represent a major new opportunity for ACARP, but was unable to put a figure on exactly how much would be produced going forward.

UK: Alternative fuels producer Andusia has said that the coronavirus has yet to impact upon the trade of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in and out of Europe. It says it is monitoring the situation and will keep customers updated. “No change to service is anticipated,” said Andusia. “There are no border restrictions to trade and it is business as usual.”

US: Italy-based Buzzi-Unicem subsidiary Alamo Cement Company has signed a contract with Italy-based renewable power supply expert Renergetica for the construction of a solar power plant at its 1.1Mt/yr integrated Plant 1604 cement plant in San Antonio, Texas. Renewables Now News has reported that the plant will have a capacity of 10MW.