30 Mar Why use Alternative Fuel at Cement Factories?
Cement factories keep the roofs over our heads – quite literally – with concrete, one of the most heavily produced products in human history. As the worldwide population increases along with the average individual’s living conditions, more and more people require rapidly deployable housing and transport solutions. Concrete also plays an integral role in pumping the lifeblood of modern cities – providing the infrastructure necessary for every area of urban life. With the number of 4 billion tonnes being produced yearly only expected to go up, we meet an increasingly prevalent dilemma.
The Problem with Coal
The choice of fuel for cement factories just so happens to be coal, one of the greatest producers of harmful carbon emissions upon burning. Cumulatively, the cement industry single-handedly produces more CO₂ than all but 2 countries (the energy giants China and the US). Cement producers are left with the conundrum of balancing demand with sustainability.
It is estimated that within the next decade, the industry's carbon emissions will need to drop by a whopping 16% to stay in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change.
This leads to a rush for alternative solutions to provide environmental sustainability by meeting development goals while concurrently meeting production demands for a developing world. This brings us to the Emirates RDF mission to revolutionize waste management in the UAE.
The Emirates RDF Solution and Purpose – Alternative Fuel for Cement Factories
The Emirates RDF initiative, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East, will bring in 1000 tonnes of municipal waste per day from nearly 0.5 million residents of Umm Al Quwain and Ajman. The waste will be transformed into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in a 400,000 square metre plot of land in which the waste-to-energy plant is situated.
The generated fuel will be used in cement factories in the UAE, most of which are located in the Northern part of the country (hence the strategic location of the plant). This provides a viable alternative to reduce carbon emissions and meet the country’s development and sustainability goals while diverting at least 90 per cent of household wastes from landfills.
As our Director Ashley Bryan said of the project: “The plant is an excellent example of a public-private partnership, which benefits both parties. Recycling waste to produce sustainable fuel is being achieved today and is an ideal replacement to fossil fuels”.
Emirates RDF aims to be the pioneer of refuse-derived waste in the middle east and provide precedent for further future expansion of this initiative into other parts of the country and the region. This will provide generous benefits to both the cement producers as well as the general public. “For the cement plants, this means substantial annual savings in fuel costs. The cost reduction can be up to 30% when plants are replacing fossil fuel with RDF”, says Bryan, in this article by Griffin Refineries.
Why use RDF?
Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is very difficult to truly take advantage of without effective waste collection systems such as in the UAE. Combustibles are separated from municipal solid waste (MSW) to produce high energy fuel fraction for improved efficiency. Refuse-derived fuel has similar energy content to coal and can subsequently be used as an efficient replacement. The removal of non-combustible material furthers the efficiency of the process. This process ensures that landfill waste is reduced and being put to good use.
The Unseen Impact
Climate change has been a headline grabber for a significant period now, so it can be easy to forget the effects that will hit close to home. The UAE is dominated by desert which expands across nearly 80% of its land. Rainfall rates reducing thanks to the effects of carbon emissions will reduce land ready for agricultural use as well as endanger the existence of the nation’s diverse local plethora of fauna and flora.
Dangers like these make sustainable development, alternative fuels and effective waste management more than a matter of temporary concern. Instead, the country’s commitment to meeting climate change goals, as affirmed by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, is central to the development of the UAE and the preservation of its native wildlife.
The importance and significance of this enterprise were acknowledged and backed by Sheikh Rashid bin Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Crown Prince of Umm Al Quwain and Chairman of the Umm Al Quwain Executive Council, Sheikh Ali bin Saud Al Mualla, Chairman of Umm Al Quwain Municipality, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Jaber Mohammed Ghanem Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court, all of whom attended the breaking ground of the Emirates RDF plant.
Conclusion
High levels of carbon emissions associated with current fuels used by cement industries prompt the development of sustainable fuels that will meet the development and sustainability goals of the UAE while simultaneously working in the interest of the factories. Emirates RDF set up in Umm Al Quwain innovates ahead to provide these solutions through refuse-derived fuels that will further improve waste disposal in the region. This has been supported by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Governments of Umm Al Quwain and Ajman and can instigate future expansion of this project throughout the UAE.