MVW Lechtenberg & Partner: 6th Alternative Fuels Symposium - Review

The key objective of the symposium is to show the cement and related industries their potential of improving sustainability by using alternative fuels, and thereby significantly reducing their climate impact. In the last 6 years, the symposium has become a leading international event in the field of processing and utilization of alternative fuels, especially in the cement industry.

An optional Field Trip on 23 September took place at HeidelbergCement plant Ennigerloh. The plant replaces more than 75% of fossil fuels with alternative fuels such as RDF, tires and liquid fuels in compliance with the highest emission protection regulations and is one of the most efficient German cement plants. On site, the participants had the opportunity to get insights into the plant‘s tire feeding and RDF storage area from a best case example.

Topics from the presentations given on 24 and 25 September included amongst others: sustainable development and CO₂ reduction potential worldwide, best practices in cement emission reduction, innovations in RDF production and production equipment, fire protection in RDF plants, country reports and case studies on developing and operating successful waste to fuel projects.

During the symposium, the winners of this year’s Alternative Fuel Award competition have been honoured and presented their outstanding projects of alternative fuel use, implementation or innovation to the audience.

The winning projects were:

• 1st Prize: Arabian Cement Company, Egypt: "Alternative Fuel Case Study"
• 2nd Prize: Simuma Cement, Part of Intercement Group, South Africa: "5 Years Evolution for a Sustainable Waste Disposal"
• 3rd Prize: Process Solution, Canada: "Waste Fuels Information Management System (WFIMS) for Geocycle"

Context: The global cement industry is responsible for around a tenth of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. In 2015 alone, the industry generated around 2.8 billion tonnes of CO₂ - a greater share than any country except China or the US. Thus, it has the possibility to substantially improve its sustainability. One way this can be achieved is by increasing alternative fuels use in order to avoid fossil CO₂ emissions. Depending on substitution rate, quantity and composition, using alternative fuels can cut overall emissions by 25% and CO₂ emissions by approximately 50%. A great potential, considering the urgency of emission reductions according to the Paris Agreements and the increasing demand for cement worldwide.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/05112019/mvw-lechtenberg-partner-6th-alternative-fuels-symposium--review/