Global building solutions provider CEMEX is forming a partnership with the Waste Recycling Group (WRG) to produce Climafuel, an renewable fuel derived from waste, for use in cement making at the Rugby cement plant.

Last year, CEMEX submitted applications for permission to build a Climafuel manufacturing plant either at Southam or Malpass Farm in Rugby. Should planning permission be granted by Warwickshire County Council (WCC) at one of these locations, CEMEX’s agreement with WRG means that the plant would be built and operated in partnership with WRG, and the resulting fuel supplied to the cement plant.

This is welcome news as UK MBT Plants are being built which will remain risky investments unless and until a market develops in Refuse Derived Fuel like this SRF. The aim ultimately will be to produce an SRF which will be saleable for use in any boiler, but the Waster understands that for now any SRF in the UK must be classed as a waste still – and that means that stringent Waste/Waste Incineration Directive type rules still apply to the emissions from any site which burns it.

As one of the UK’s leading waste management and energy recovery companies, WRG brings to the partnership the necessary expertise and experience in the manufacture of solid recovered fuel (SRF) from residual household, commercial and industrial waste. The Climafuel plant would utilise mechanical biological treatment (MBT) technology which is widely used in mainland Europe with over 80 operational facilities, mainly in Germany, Italy and Spain. Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC), the Spanish construction and services group and WRG’s parent company, brings a wealth of experience in implementing solutions utilising a range of MBT processes and technologies.

CEMEX has demonstrated the significant benefits the use of Climafuel provides in displacing traditional fossil fuels and reducing emissions. By diverting waste from landfill, the manufacture and use of Climafuel can also help local authorities to meet the stringent targets set by the European Union for reducing the volume of waste going to landfill. The use of Climafuel will further reduce the plant’s consumption of fossil fuels, such as coal, and thereby help to achieve climate change objectives.

If permission for such a plant is granted by WCC, it could make a significant contribution to the county achieving its landfill diversion targets.

Neville Roberts, CEMEX’s Technical Director, commented: “CEMEX had always planned to involve a waste management specialist in this project and in WRG we have one of the leaders in this activity in the UK and Europe. The use of Climafuel represents a ‘win-win’ situation and this new partnership will deliver tangible benefits environmentally and commercially.”

Andy Ryan, WRG’s Development Director, said: “WRG has a strong strategic focus on providing solutions for local authorities as they seek to reduce the amount of waste they send to landfill, as well as improving performance on waste minimisation, re-use and recycling.

“This partnership represents an important extension to our offering. Climafuel would be manufactured to CEMEX’s tight specifications and this will produce a solid, clean and non-hazardous alternative fuel which generates valuable energy from material that cannot otherwise be recycled.”

The 3rd International Symposium on mechanical-biological waste treatment (MBT) and automatic / sensor based waste sorting technologies, which is under the auspices of German Minister of Environment Sigmar Gabriel, takes place from the 12th to the 15th of May 2009 in Hanover, Germany. It is world’s leading conference specialised on MBT and MRF (material recovery facilities). Key aspects of the programme are as follows:

12th of May: International aspects and experiences, future developments including new methods of waste treatment, waste management strategies

13th of May: Mechanical-biological treatment, Production of alternative fuels (RDF).

14th of May: Processing of refuse derived fuel (RDF), sorting of recyclable fraction, waste-analysis

15th of May: Site visit to MBT Suedniedersachsen (maximum150 participants) and afterwards to RDF co-generation plant Witzenhausen (max. 50 participants)

Single day tickets are available. Programme and more information about conference and exhibition is available at wasteconsult website

There will be continuous simultaneous translation provided on the 3 conference days, so that it will be possible to hear all presentations in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian.

The parallel exhibition (12th-14th of May) brings together a highly qualified audience and market leaders in advanced waste and recycling technology. You will find the details for reservation of an exhibition surface, sponsor packages and further advertising possibilities under http://wasteconsult.de .

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Wiltshire county council has given the go-ahead for Marlborough-based waste management company Hills Group to build a £15 million mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facility at Westbury.

The county council awarded planning permission last week (March 18) for Hills to develop the 45,000 tonne-a-year capacity plant, which will be known as the Northacre Recovery Centre, as part of its contract to dispose of Wiltshire’s residual household waste.

Hills also intends to build a £1 million household waste and recycling centre at the Stephenson Road site in Westbury.

Speaking after the approval, Alan Pardoe, chairman of Hills Group, said: “We are delighted by today’s decision. This plant is a key element of Wiltshire’s overall war on waste and means that we can look forward to the day when at least 85 per cent of the county’s waste can be diverted from landfill. It adds up to a much more sustainable future.”

Originally, Hills had planned to send 30,000 tonnes of solid recovered fuel (SRF) generated by the proposed plant to be used in a cement kiln run by Lafarge Aggregates in Westbury before Lafarge was forced to mothball the operation due to the effect the economic downturn had on the construction market. However, the firm said it was now in talks to send the fuel elsewhere.

Mr Pardoe said: “Fuels of this type that reduce both waste and CO2 have a big future in the UK. We are already in discussions with other end-users and are confident that other outlets will be found for this fuel.”

A spokeswoman for Wiltshire county council confirmed that contract negotiations for the SRF were underway.

See letsrecycle.com story.

MRW – Claire Churchard, 08 Jan 2009

Cheshire County Council has saved £2.1 million by reducing the waste it sends to landfill.

The council has been able to free-up the cash due to a forecast 20 per cent reduction in landfill use, equalling about 50,000 tonnes.

“There has been a significant fall in the amount of rubbish we are having to landfill,” said the council’s Environment Executive Member Andrew Needham.

“This reduction compared to last year’s figure has happened for two main reasons. Recycling at our household waste recycling centres has more than doubled to 65 per cent under our new contractor H W Martin. This new contract has seen a 50 per cent reduction in landfill from the HWRCs. There have also been further improvements in kerbside recycling undertaken by the district councils,” he said.

Cash to be used for roads

But the money will not go back into funding for recycling and waste services in the area because “recycling is a dead duck,” Needham told MRW. He explained that the authority had a surplus of recycled materials and said the income from recycling had reduced, adding that they were now paying for people to take it.

He said the council supported the findings of the recent IMechE reportwhich called for the Government to abandon its focus on recycling and concentrate on building more energy-from-waste plants.

“Politically, dealing with waste is not easy,” Needham said, “there are no votes in it.”

PFI project

The authority is currently evaluating bidders for its £1 billion, 25-year private finance initiative waste project, which could include mechanical biological treatment and EfW technologies.

Neeedham explained that the £2.1m will not go towards funding this scheme, which is due to finalise a preferred bidder early this year. He also explained that £2.1m was a small amount in comparison to the £1 billion needed for the PFI project. More here at MRW Magazine.

The Waster notes that currently the council like elsewhere in post credit-crunch recession Britain, has to pay for recycling materials to be taken away.

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The “Wasters” Waste Management Related Web Sites

Here is a list of the various Waste Management web sites that I have created over the past 5 or more years.

It has now reached the point that there are so many that I will need this list myself in order to keep track of them, and ensure that I regularly update them.

All the sites are independent of any manufacturer, and many are supported by my Employer.

I have listed them in chronological order with the oldest first:

www.leachate.co.uk - Leachate Treatment Site: UK centred and Worldwide Plants. Normally ranks well in all search engines. Listed in the DMOZ Directory. Provides detailed information and many case studies on the design and commissioning of biological leachate treatment plants. (What is leachate? It’s the dirty water that seeps out of landfilled waste mostly from rain.

www.landfill-site.com - Landfill Site Technical Information. UK Centred. All types of landfills, lists, links, and articles.

www.landfill-gas.com - Landfill Gas Technical Information. UK Centred. All types of landfills, lists, links, and articles. Landfill gas extraction, pumping and flaring. More recently some energy as aspects, and details about bio-oxidation research we have been conducting.

www.compost.me.uk – A composting web site which provides commercial composting information, and is a promotional vehicle for my employer’s Composting expertise. A very popular web site, for this small niche.

www.waste-technology.co.uk – A waste technology information web site which lists all the major waste technologies currently being developed for recycling, waste minimisation, and the diversion of waste from landfill. Again UK centred, and originally based on an extended briefing Note on Waste Technologies.

www.mechanical-biological-treatment.com – Links to my main Waste Technology Web Site. No unique content.

www.leachate-treatment.com – A site which is purely a niche site to promote the Enviros Consulting Leachate management Service.

www.leachate-irrigation.com – Set up as a collaborative site to research the stae of the art in leachate irrigation throughout Europe and wider if the oppotrunity arises. Just a small site. Much of the data is held in the membership area.

www.waste-technologies.co.uk – Is a large web site of articles, directory pages and information about the development of waste technologies for waste processing. Although the Index Page is UK centred, most of the rest of the site is worldwide in content and outlook.

www.anaerobic-digestion.com – After the popularity of the waste technology web sites became apparent I created this site which has in a short period since autumn 2005 become one of my most visited sites, second only to the main leachate web site.

www.resource-india.net – Environmental Resources for India. A web site offering information articles and services in Waste Management, Landfill, Composting, Environmental Software, etc.

www.blog.landfillcqa.co.uk – Landfill Construction Quality Assurance is an important element of all United Kingdom Landfill Developement work whether it be a lining, or a capping project. In this blog we provide general information on the Landfill CQA scene, and news.

Tags: DSEAR Leachate Landfill Mechanical Biological Treatment Waste Technology Anaerobic Digestion Leachate Treatment Compost Landfill Gas Landfill Site Landfill Construction Quality Assurance