Lafarge seek to use third sustainable fuel at Dunbar Works

Company applying to SEPA for permission to use PSP as an additional waste-derived fuel

IN a move which will help reduce their carbon footprint and control escalating energy costs, Lafarge Cement UK are to apply to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) for permission to use processed sewage pellets (PSP) as an additional waste-derived fuel at their Dunbar Works in East Lothian.

The site has already managed to replace 40% of its annual coal usage each year with established waste-derived fuels – tyres and recycled liquid fuel (RLF). Now the company would like to add PSP, a fuel classed as ‘carbon neutral biomass’.

Dunbar Works manager Nigel Blair explained that using PSP will not only be safe and cost-effective, but will also help reduce the site’s carbon footprint and support Scotland’s Zero Waste strategy.

‘Waste-derived fuels continue to offer many benefits to our business – they help us maintain our environmental performance, reduce our carbon footprint and manage our very high energy costs,’ he said.

‘Working closely with Sapphire, our on-site experts on waste-derived fuels, we have proven that using RLF from the solvent industry and tyres in the cement-making process is a safe and effective way of recovering energy from these wastes – and reducing our costs. We now hope that PSP will allow us to take our coal replacement rate up over 50%.

‘We anticipate that by using 12,000 tonnes of PSP each year, over 7,000 tonnes of coal will be replaced and our carbon footprint will be reduced by the equivalent of taking 11,500 cars off the road.

‘PSP is already used as an effective fuel in the cement-making process in many other countries, including Austria, Spain, France and South Korea. It has also been used for more than eight years at Dunbar Works’ sister plant in Cauldon, Staffordshire. It is very safe to handle and use, and has caused no issues whatsoever for staff or local people,’ said Mr Blair.