Oman: Al Ramooz National LLC has selected Bulk Handling Systems (BHS) to provide two mixed waste processing facilities in Oman. A 220t/day plant at Ibri and a 150t/day plant at Buraimi will treat municipal solid waste from the governorates of Al Dhahirah and Al Buraimi in northwest Oman. Both systems will be commissioned in 2017.

The new plants will process waste for French company Veolia and Al Ramooz, which were awarded a seven-year waste management contract tendered by Oman Environmental Services Holding Company in 2016. The contract includes the collection, transportation and landfilling for 250,000 residents. To fulfill this contract, Al Ramooz National LLC takes charge of collection, material processing and recovery. To maximise recovery and product quality, Al Ramooz National LLC selected BHS’ patented MSW process, combining screen, air and optical separation technologies to capture recyclable commodities and to produce alternative fuels.

“These two systems are an investment in the long-term sustainability of Oman,” said Al Ramooz Chairman Ali Saleh Al Sahib. “BHS offered the most advanced and complete system to help us reach our goals and we are especially excited to bring such a high level of technology to our process. We were able to collaborate on creative layouts to immediately maximise our recovery and value from the waste stream while simultaneously building in the flexibility to expand our processing capabilities in the future.”

The plants will feature the BHS Metering Bin Liberator Class to open bags and provide the system with a steady flow of material. BHS Tri-Disc screens will extract organics and separate containers from fibres, while Nihot Single Drum Separators will segregate dry recyclables from bulkier items, such as wood and rock. NRT’s In-Flight Sorting optical technology will target PET, HDPE, PP and PVC. Cardboard, mixed paper, ferrous metals and aluminium will also be recovered.

Ireland: Limerick council’s economic committee has agreed to ask Irish Cement that it conduct a full public consultation over its plans to co-process alternative fuels, including tyres, at its cement plant. Local residents have submitted objections to the Environmental Protection Agency over the proposals, according to the Limerick Leader newspaper. However, Irish Cement has insisted its Euro10m plan for the site will have minimal environmental impact and will secure jobs at the site.

Egypt: A study led by the Ministry of Industry says that the substation rate of alternative fuels used by cement plants is set to increase to 30% by 2025. At present the co-processing rate is 6.4%, according to the Daily News Egypt newspaper. The Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade Tarek Kabil added that he expects that the total coal consumption in cement plants will reach 9.7Mt/yr by 2025. Increased use of alternative fuels is also expected to save the industry US$50m/yr by 2025.

The study was carried out by the Ministry of Industry, International Finance Corporation, the Ministry of Environment and the Cement Division of the Building Materials Chamber at the Federation of Egyptian Industries. It used a sample of 14 cement plants in the country that represents three quarters of the operational plants in the market.

India: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has proposed a roadmap for implementing new plastic waste management rules that recommends the disposal of such waste in cement kilns. It also wants to make manufacturers responsible for collecting waste generated from their products, according to the Mint newspaper. The environment ministry introduced the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules 2016 in March 2016 and the draft guidelines were released in September 2016. The new regulations are expected to replace the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2011.

"The preferred option for disposal of non-recyclable plastic waste is co-processing in cement plants due to its high temperature. The producers of non-recyclable plastic, major uses like food packaging, pharmaceuticals, multilayer film manufacturing industries in consultation with local authority, cement plants shall work out modalities for co-processing of such waste in cement kilns," the draft says.

15,000t of plastic waste are believed to be generated daily in the country but only 9000t of this is collected and processed. State Pollution Control Boards may consider incentives such as reduction of water cess/consent fee for cement plants, according to the draft guidelines.