A recent dedication marked the official opening of Lafarge North America's new alternate solid fuels facility at Sugar Creek, Mo. Cosponsored by the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Environmental Excellence Business Network, the event provided an occasion for government officials, environmental professionals, business leaders, community members, and employees to celebrate Lafarge's ongoing commitment to the environment and to the use of sustainable resources.

The $7 million, 22,000-sq-ft facility now is engineered to derive fuel for production operations from the processing of industrial byproduct materials obtained from manufacturers throughout the region. Using this alternate solid fuel will meet 40% of the plant's total energy requirements, reducing the plant's reliance on fossil fuels (i.e., coal) by 50,000 tons annually — equivalent to removing 6,629 passenger cars from the roadways or providing electricity to 3,931 households each year. It also diverts from landfills annually 50,000 tons of locally generated industrial by-products.

“The reuse of materials that normally would be sent to landfills is a positive development for the environment, for the community, and for businesses throughout the region,” says Sugar Creek Plant Manager Rich Reuter. “Every ton we burn means one less ton of material going to landfills, less coal being mined, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.”

CONTINUING A STRONG ENVIRONMENTAL HERITAGE

Located near Kansas City, Lafarge's Sugar Creek cement plant has a strong record of sustainable manufacturing through land stewardship, community outreach, energy efficiency, and innovation, company officials emphasize. The ISO 14001-certified plant received the Energy Star Award from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2006 and 2007, one of only a handful of plants in the nation to earn the award. In addition, as part of a global accreditation program recognizing commendable wildlife habitat management and environmental education programs at individual sites, the facility recently has been named a Wildlife Habitat Council Certified Site.

The new alternate solid fuels system supplements the plant's existing landfill gas program, which has been collecting methane gas from two closed landfills since August 2005. This methane gas currently accounts for 7% of fuels — approximately 1 ton per hour of solid fuel — replacing about 8,000 metric tons of coal or petroleum coke annually and offsetting more than 10,200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. With the recent addition of gas from an adjacent active landfill, methane gas eventually could account for approximately 20% of the fuel needed at the plant, replacing about 20,000 metric tons of coal or petroleum coke each year.

“The combined use of methane gas and the industrial byproduct materials as alternative fuel sources will account for over 60% of the total energy needed to operate our kilns that produce high-quality cements used in the central Midwest,” notes Reuter.

USING MULTIPLE MATERIALS

The use of one industry's byproducts to manufacture the product of another constitutes co-processing, a form of industrial ecology. At the Sugar Creek plant, byproduct materials processed as alternate solid fuels will include cellulose, plastic, rubber, and textiles having a heat value over 5,000 Btu/lb. Material suppliers must go through an approval process, including lab testing and reviews by environmental, quality, and health & safety professionals.

The Sugar Creek plant's alternate solid fuel system, encouraged by the local government, has been permitted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Through a two-stage process, the facility shreds byproduct materials to the size of 2 sq in. or less. The shredded material is then conveyed pneumatically into the preheater/precalciner tower, where it serves as fuel. At peak capacity, Sugar Creek's system will consume up to 50,000 tpy of alternate solid fuels.

“By turning these industrial byproduct materials into energy at the Sugar Creek plant, we are leading the way in using alternate fuel sources to protect our environment and promote a more sustainable community,” Reuter affirms.