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Reaction was positive following the announcement of a new lower carbon fuel system at Lafarge’s Richmond cement plant today (May 23).
Photo courtesy Lafarge Canada
Richmond cement plant aims to be Canada’s most carbon efficient
With the environment top of mind, Lafarge Canada is introducing a lower carbon fuel system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of cement.
The aim is to make the Richmond cement plant the most carbon efficient in the country. The initiative will also help minimize landfill waste; specifically, non-recyclable plastics that are creating a backlog for municipalities across Canada.
Lafarge’s newly-commissioned fuel handling and delivery system is expected to replace up to half of the plant’s fossil fuel use. The rate of substitution could mean a 20 per cent reduction of combustion emissions.
The cost of the project is $28 million, with Lafarge having received half of the funding from the B.C. Ministry of Environment.
“Lafarge is aligned with Metro Vancouver’s sustainability goals for recovering energy from landfill-bound solid waste, a classic example of the circular economy in action,” says plant manager Pascal Bouchard. “This new system allows us to more easily reach our target of substituting 50 per cent of our fossil fuel use with lower carbon options. Data from our pilot suggests we can go higher—even up to 70 per cent is is realistic.”
Low carbon fuels used by the 60-year-old Richmond plant (the company’s first Canadian facility) is comprised of primarily non-recyclable waste by-products; waste that does not have an existing or economically viable recycling outlet and is bound for landfills. This allows Lafarge to divert about 100,000 tonnes per year of waste from local landfills, equal to about 8,300 loaded garbage trucks.
Sophie Wu, head of Geocycle North America, LafargeHolcim’s waste management subsidiary, says “with an every growing population, using waste as a source of energy is the future of waste management and recycling. It offers superior environmental performance compared to landfill and incineration of waste and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emission from cement production.”
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