Biotech Updates

Study Shows that Egypt Produces Enough Waste-to-Fuel to Power their Cement Industry

November 3, 2016
http://biofuels-news.com/display_news/11279/egypt_cement_producers_could_go_green_by_using_wastetofuel_materials_to_power_production_facilities/

A new report by International Finance Corporation (IFC) reveals that Egypt's cement producers could save money and lower greenhouse gas emissions by using their waste as a feedstock to power their production facilities.

The study found that Egypt produces enough alternative fuels to power the entire cement sector. These sources of alternative fuels include municipal solid waste, agricultural waste, sewage, and old tires. Increased use of these wastes as fuel could help save the cement industry $51 million each year by 2025 and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. However, it also found several obstacles, including the lack of a well-established supply chain that would collect, process, and deliver waste to cement plants.

This study is timely since there is currently a nationwide shortage of natural gas, prompting a number of cement producers to turn to coal and petcoke to power their plants. By 2025, the sector is projected to use about 9.7 million tons of coal per year.