1. Fire extinguishers don’t make good cement fuel!!
The journey from landfill to SRF in Ireland: An
Economic Success Story

2. Lagan Cement operates to the highest environmental standards
internationally.
Lagan Cement is an ISO 14001, ISO 50001 and ISO 9001-2008 company.
Lagan Cement produces cement to EN 197 standard.
Lagan Cement makes safety its highest priority
Lagan Cement operates a good neighbour policy, publishes a corporate
social responsibility report and actively contributes to various community
support schemes

4.  In 2001, Ireland landfilled 86.7% of its waste, a
total of 1,992,050 tonnes.
 Only 7.4% of Paper was recovered from
household waste.
 0.6% of plastic was recovered.
 0% of ferrous metal was recovered from
household waste
 172 licensed landfills operating.

6. Country No. of plants using alternative
material / total no. of plants
Austria 9/9
Belgium 5/5
Czech Republic 6/6
Denmark 6/7
Finland 2/2
France 38/44
Germany 32/35
Greece 1/8
Hungary 2/6
Italy 23/60
Luxembourg 1/1
Netherlands 1/1
Norway 2/2
Poland 6/6
Switzerland 8/8
UK 8/16
Ireland 0/4

7. 98% Coal
Coal Gas-oil

9.  In 2002, the government introduced a landfill levy
of €15/t to encourage diversion from landfill.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2002 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Growth of Landfill Levy
Landfill levy (€/t)

10. Raw Materials
•Aluminium, Steel, Copper
•Stone, Glass, Hard and soft plastics
Fertiliser
•Compost
•Soil Improver
Fuel
•SRF
•RDF
•Landfill gas

11.  High calorific value (CV)
 High biogenic fraction/Carbon Neutral
 Sustainable
 Homogenous/High quality
 Consistent, consistent, consistent!
 Gives environmental advantage over
coal.
 Gives economic advantage over coal.

12.  SRF is a solid fuel, prepared from non-hazardous
waste. It is processed specifically for use cement kilns
and in power generation.
 It is typically produced from non recyclable
packaging, paper fragments, plastic film and rejects
from recycling lines, material that would other wise
be landfilled.
 It is a highly processed material, is homogenised,
shredded and scanned for undesirable materials.
 It is a better, cleaner and more processed fuel than
RDF
 Produced to EN15359
 Good SRF can have an energy value of 2/3 that of
coal, making it a desirable fuel.

14.  Following a year in planning and
environmental licence applications, Lagan
Cement accepted its first load of SRF in
January 2009.
 Single SRF supplier
 Significant government scrutiny

15.  Locally produced, locally used.
 Renewable, produced every day
 Enables exports
 Over 300 employed in SRF production and
consumption
 Enhances energy security
 Alternative is to import fossil fuel and landfill
energy resources.

16.  Due to rises in the Landfill Levy, disposal has
become expensive.
 Therefore investment in SRF processing.
 SRF is less expensive option than landfill and
other solutions.
 Virtually all waste collection is by private
companies.
 Ready market for good quality SRF.

17.  SRF consumption in Ireland commenced in
2009, with licensed capacity at 95,000
tonnes.
 In 2013 SRF consumption in Ireland rose to
approximately 180,000 tonnes.
 In 2014 annualised consumption will rise to
300,000 tonnes.
 All of the cement companies in Ireland are
permitted to use SRF.
 Coal replacement of up to 60% has been
achieved.

18. Coal

20.  Poor SRF can cause the following:-
◦ Increased downtime
◦ Stop start production
 Quality problems were terrible initially (>40%
moisture, oversize, scrap metal).
 The poorer the quality the worse the problems
 The above combine to give increased unit production
cost
 Big capital investment for both producer and user
 Need for more fuel suppliers was identified.
 Fire Extinguishers wreck rotary airlocks!!!

21.  Producers have had to make a considerable
journey from “haul and dump” to producing a
homogenous fuel. Hauliers to Refiners!
 New business! (quality control, process mgt,
investment)

22.  Quality Control of SRF is needed to:-
◦ Protect the environment
◦ Promote public confidence
◦ Protect the cement plant
◦ Protect the waste companies.
 Quality control is in everyone’s long-term
interest.
 Need for enforcement of
standards.

24.  Business continuity is critical in cement
manufacture. Therefore fuel quality is critical.
 Every load is inspected and sampled.
 In 6 years we have only rejected one load of
SRF.
 Supplier audits are critical (monthly)
 Security of outlet is vital for SRF producers.
 If supplier is not performing, they lose supply
slots.

25.  The cement industry
employs over 500
people in Ireland.
 It is estimated that
over 200 people are
directly employed in
SRF production in
Ireland.
 The use of SRF allows
Irish industry to
complete in an export
market.

26.  Cement kilns are achieving more than
90% coal replacement with SRF.
 Very long term SRF supply contracts
now the norm.
 Better Quality due to investments
made due to better market certainty.

27.  SRF use is growing in Europe and beyond.
 The UK remains a large SRF/RDF exporter
 Irish market is likely to be influenced by a new
600kt/yr incinerator.
 SRF is being treated much more as a traded fuel
commodity.
 SRF quality is being rewarded by pricing.
 SRF use in Electricity Generation is growing.

29. 2001 2015
 In 2001, Ireland landfilled 86.7%
of its waste, a total of 1,992,050
tonnes.
 Only 7.4% of Paper was
recovered from household
waste.
 0.6% of plastic was recovered.
 0% of ferrous metal was
recovered from household waste
 172 licensed landfills operating.
 Circa 250,000 tonnes to
landfill.
 87% packaging recycled
 83% paper recycled
 40% plastic recycled
 76% metals recycled
 5 Landfills operating

30.  Since 2001 there has been a massive increase
in recycling in Ireland, primarily due to
landfill tax increases.
 SRF use and production in Ireland is growing.
 Quality remains an issue.
 SRF supply across Europe will be impacted by
growing use of SRF in electricity generation.
 A truly sustainable solution to waste must
incorporate all possible solutions.

31. 