RUGBY, Warwickshire, England: Building materials company, CEMEX UK, has obtained a permit for a trial to increase the use of tyres from 12 to 25 per cent as part-replacement for coal to heat the cement kiln at Rugby Works in Warwickshire and is also to trial Climafuel.
This decision by the cement industry regulator, the Environment Agency (EA), comes after an extended period of record performance while using tyres, with data showing a marked reduction in emissions of oxides of nitrogen by up to 30 per cent when tyres are in use as a fuel.
Waste tyres are clearly well on their way to becoming very important as a fuel, but also in the production of secondary products as diverse as roof tiles and sports field surfaces. This is all to the good considering the 48 million tyres thrown away each year in the UK.
CEMEX has welcomed the EA decision, which it says is key to improving the company’s environmental performance and will help to ensure that quality cement from the plant is provided as sustainably as possible.
The CEMEX Rugby cement works
In addition to the direct environmental benefits of reduced emissions, using alternative fuels like tyres has indirect sustainable benefits, such as recovering energy from what would otherwise be considered a waste material, preserving fossil fuels and minimising fly-tipping.
Other good news at the Rugby plant is that last month it received permission to trial another waste-derived fuel, Climafuel, to replace up to 30 per cent of the fossil fuels used at the plant.
Climafuel is an alternative fuel which is derived from household and commercial waste and could, therefore, substantially reduce what currently has to be sent to landfill. It looks like shredded paper and consists of paper, cardboard, wood, carpet, textiles and plastics that have been through a treatment process. It is a solid, non-hazardous fuel from which recoverable materials have been removed for recycling.
This means that when used together in the future, tyres and Climafuel could substitute up to 55 per cent of the fuel used to heat the kiln, which would significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the plant.
CEMEX is planning to gradually increase the use of tyres with immediate effect, and once the trial using increased volumes has been completed, Climafuel will be introduced in a trial which is due to commence in the new year.
Further information
CEMEX UK
CEMEX is a global building solutions company and leading supplier of cement, ready-mixed concrete and aggregates. In the UK, CEMEX also produces asphalt, and has a significant share of the roof tile, concrete-block paving, and concrete block sectors. Additionally, the company is the leading supplier of concrete sleepers to the rail industry and a supplier of PFA cement additives. CEMEX has a national supply network in the UK with over 500 locations, to ensure that quality building materials are available to customers locally. For more information, see www.CEMEX.co.uk, www.CEMEX.com
Rugby Works
CEMEX’s Rugby Works is one of the most modern cement plants in the world and represents a total investment of £200 million. It has the largest kiln in the UK and has a production capacity of 1.8 million tonnes of cement per annum. CEMEX supports 730 local jobs in Rugby (183 at the works), contributes £25.5 million per annum to the local economy and provides a product that is essential locally and nationally, for housing, hospitals, schools and roads. Every year Rugby produces enough cement for the construction of more than 72,000 houses (assuming that an average house contains approximately 18 tonnes of cement). For more information, please see www.CEMEX.co.uk/communities