Holcim reuses waste materials to cut down energy cost
By Van Nam - The Saigon Times Daily
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| Waste materials are loaded into the incinerator of Holcim Vietnam’s Hon Chong cement plant in Kien Giang Province for burning to take energy for cement production - Photo: Courtesy of Holcim Vietnam |
HCMC – Realizing that natural resources are limited, Holcim Vietnam Limited since 2003 has aimed at sustainable production development by increasing the use of waste materials as main energies to replace fossil fuels at its Hon Chong cement plant in Kien Giang Province.
Holcim Vietnam has been using rice husks, waste plastics, waste footwear
and mud at its cement plant in the Mekong Delta province as one of the measures to control and manage waste.
Holcim Vietnam in 2007 established Geocycle Vietnam, a wholly-owned business unit of Holcim Vietnam Limited as part of the Holcim Group of Switzerland.
As a result, Holcim Vietnam in 2009 used some 60,000 tons of rice husks to replace 14% of its total energy cost at Hon Chong cement plant.
Hon Chong cement plant is located on the coast of Kien Giang Province some 380 kilometers from HCMC. The site occupies 5.6 square kilometers, including three limestone mountains, a clay quarry, a seaport and a river barge port. The plant produces two million tons of cement each year.
Holcim Vietnam’s waste treatment facility has an annual capacity of 50,000 tons. The facility collects harmful waste from 150 companies in different industries nationwide. This waste is burnt at its kiln and used for energy for its cement production.
Holcim Vietnam aims at raising the facility’s annual capacity to 100,000 tons to create 40% of the energy required for its cement plant.
According to Holcim Vietnam, the company each year pays some US$10 million for energy to run its cement plant. The company aims at using 500,000 tons of rice husks per year to further reduce its energy cost.
At the core of Holcim’s business strategy is its plan to balance between economic development for its shareholders and protecting the environment.
The launch of Geocycle in 2007 was a practical step towards Holcim’s development goals, playing an important role in destructing waste materials safely as well as providing proper waste management solutions to a diverse range of industries in Vietnam, from footwear and consumer products to pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
Holcim Vietnam in 2008 established a sustainable development department to execute concrete projects focusing on the preservation of the environment and effectively improving the livelihood of members of its workforce, their families and the communities around the company’s operational sites.
In addition to its continuous actions in favor of “greener” production, Holcim Vietnam is partnering with international organizations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the International Crane Foundation to conserve a robust ecosystem around its Hon Chong cement plant and to promote the best practices across the cement industry and related sectors in Vietnam.