A sustainable leap in Edmonton

Heidelberg Materials’ cement plant in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is fast becoming the face of the company’s North American sustainability quest, in large part because of two high profile projects.

Through the Alternative Low Carbon Fuels (ALCF) Project, Heidelberg Materials is constructing systems and infrastructure that will replace 50% of fossil fuels used in the kiln with alternative and low carbon fuels. The second is the introduction of a carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) solution. Once operational, the Edmonton CCUS project, the world’s first full-scale carbon neutral cement plant, is anticipated to capture up to 95% of the plant’s total CO₂ emissions.

Both of these projects are essential components to the company’s ambitious CO₂ reduction targets – and both are well on the way to operation.

A diversion directive

In 2020, Heidelberg Materials launched its ‘Beyond 2020’ strategy which outlines the company’s sustainability journey. Through this strategy, it is committed to generating 50% of its revenue from sustainable products and reducing CO₂ emissions to 400 kg CO₂/t CEM by 2030, nearly half of its emissions in the 1990s.

By 2050 at the latest, Heidelberg Materials is working to be carbon neutral across its entire product portfolio and to achieve net zero emissions. The Edmonton Alternative Low Carbon Fuel project is a critical step in that journey.

Heidelberg Materials has previously used coal and natural gas to fire the rotary kiln system at the Edmonton plant that converts limestone, clay and other minerals into clinker, which is ultimately processed into cement. That is about to change significantly with the introduction of alternative fuel sources.

For the Edmonton facility, these alternative low carbon fuels will include refuse-derived, manufactured fuel made from municipal solid waste, residual fibres from tyre recycling, and construction and demolition waste which includes primarily wood waste mixed with various non-recyclable packing materials that have been processed into fuel.

Alternative low carbon fuels contain biogenic carbon and the CO₂ from their combustion is carbon neutral. In addition to reducing CO₂ emissions from the Edmonton facility, the use of alternative fuels diverts waste from landfills, reduces methane and other gases from landfills, and eliminates persistent solid waste from the environment. Another advantage is that alternative fuels do not produce residual bottom ash waste when used in cement kilns since that ash chemically combines with the mineral feedstock and is converted into clinker.

Structurally sustainable

The Alternative Low Carbon Fuel Project includes construction of a 6000 m³ fuel storage building for the alternative fuels that will feed the fuel into the calciner vessel in the cement kiln system. The high temperatures in the clinker pyro-process and long retention times create optimum conditions for combustion efficiency and emissions minimisation.

Even the construction of the alternative low carbon fuel system incorporates low carbon solutions. For instance, the fuel storage facility was constructed using 3600 m³ of EvoBuild LCC Bronze, a low carbon concrete supplied from the local ready-mix plant. EvoBuild is formed with EcoCemPLUS cementitious material, a low carbon general use limestone blended cement that has demonstrated one of the lowest Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) ratings for cement in North America. The use of EvoBuild LCC Bronze reduced CO₂ emissions by 30 – 50% compared to conventional concrete mix designs.

Further, Giatec SmartRock^® maturity sensors, installed directly on the rebar prior to each pour, were used throughout the project to determine concrete strength and temperature in real-time, replacing more conventional and error prone field-cured cylinder break tests.

The project is supported by the Government of Alberta and Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) through the Shovel-Ready Challenge, which is partially funded through the Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund. The Edmonton Cement Plant low carbon feed system began initial operations in August 2023. By full capacity in 2025, the company will reduce CO₂ emissions in Alberta by around 100 000 tpy.

Across all its plants, Heidelberg Materials aims to increase the share of alternative fuels to over 40% of the fuel mix from 25% in 2020, and to double the biomass rate to almost 20% by 2030.

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Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/15122023/a-sustainable-leap-in-edmonton/