01-03-2008, 10:30 PM
I was reading the Cement News Wire and came accross this article on one of our plants in Sugar Creek. I didn't know that they are tapping methane from a landfill.
Latest News
Lafarge Sugar Creek taps industrial byproducts as new fuel source
Source: Lafarge North America
Herndon, Va.-based Lafarge, the largest supplier of cement products in the U.S. and Canada, has officially opened a state-of-the-art alternate solid fuels facility in Sugar Creek, Mo. At a recent dedication event cosponsored by the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Environmental Excellence Business Network, government officials, environmental professionals, business leaders, community members, and employees celebrated the company's continued commitment to the environment and to the use of sustainable resources.
Representing a $7 million investment, the 22,000-sq-ft facility is designed to process industrial byproduct materials from manufacturing firms throughout the region into fuel required for production operations at the Sugar Creek plant. Using this alternate solid fuel will not only meet 40 percent of the plant's total energy requirements but also will reduce the plant's reliance on fossil fuels (coal in particular) by 50,000 tons annually, which is equivalent to removing 6,629 passenger cars from the roadways or providing electricity to 3,931 households each year. It also diverts 50,000 tons of locally generated industrial byproduct materials from landfills each year.
"The reuse of materials that would normally be sent to landfills is a positive development for the environment, for the community, and for businesses throughout the region," said Rich Reuter, Sugar Creek plant manager. "Every ton we burn means one less ton of material going to landfills, less coal being mined, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions."
Located near Kansas City, Lafarge's Sugar Creek operation has a strong record of sustainable manufacturing through land stewardship, community outreach, energy efficiency, and innovation. The ISO 14001 certified plant has received the Energy Star Award from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2006 and 2007, one of only six plants in the nation to earn the award.
The new alternate solid fuels program 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 percent of fuels, which is 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 could eventually account for about 20 percent of the fuel needed at the plant, replacing about 20,000 metric tons of coal or petroleum coke annually.
Scott
Latest News
Lafarge Sugar Creek taps industrial byproducts as new fuel source
Source: Lafarge North America
Herndon, Va.-based Lafarge, the largest supplier of cement products in the U.S. and Canada, has officially opened a state-of-the-art alternate solid fuels facility in Sugar Creek, Mo. At a recent dedication event cosponsored by the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Environmental Excellence Business Network, government officials, environmental professionals, business leaders, community members, and employees celebrated the company's continued commitment to the environment and to the use of sustainable resources.
Representing a $7 million investment, the 22,000-sq-ft facility is designed to process industrial byproduct materials from manufacturing firms throughout the region into fuel required for production operations at the Sugar Creek plant. Using this alternate solid fuel will not only meet 40 percent of the plant's total energy requirements but also will reduce the plant's reliance on fossil fuels (coal in particular) by 50,000 tons annually, which is equivalent to removing 6,629 passenger cars from the roadways or providing electricity to 3,931 households each year. It also diverts 50,000 tons of locally generated industrial byproduct materials from landfills each year.
"The reuse of materials that would normally be sent to landfills is a positive development for the environment, for the community, and for businesses throughout the region," said Rich Reuter, Sugar Creek plant manager. "Every ton we burn means one less ton of material going to landfills, less coal being mined, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions."
Located near Kansas City, Lafarge's Sugar Creek operation has a strong record of sustainable manufacturing through land stewardship, community outreach, energy efficiency, and innovation. The ISO 14001 certified plant has received the Energy Star Award from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2006 and 2007, one of only six plants in the nation to earn the award.
The new alternate solid fuels program 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 percent of fuels, which is 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 could eventually account for about 20 percent of the fuel needed at the plant, replacing about 20,000 metric tons of coal or petroleum coke annually.
Scott