Philippine producers step up alternative fuels efforts

Philippine cement producers are stepping up their efforts to increase their use of alternative fuels in a bid to reduce production costs and minimise environmental impact.

“Energy makes up 63 per cent of cement production cost, or 40 per cent of total cost in operations. We must find alternatives that will be beneficial not only to us but to the environment as well,” Ernesto Ordoñez, president of the Cement Manufacturers' Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) told the Manila Bulletin.

In Cemex’s plants, fluorescent light bulbs have been replaced with LED (light emitting diodes) bulbs which require less power. It is also constructing a Waste Heat Recovery facility in its plant in Antipolo.

Lafarge has constructed refuse-derived fuel facilities in three of its four plants. Its waste heat recovery facility in Teresa, Rizal can generate 4.5MW of electricity at any given time, thereby reducing by 30 per cent its use of power from the Luzon power grid.

From 2010-12, Holcim minimized its electricity consumption from 107kWh/t of cement to 102kWh/t of cement, through their Geocycle programme.

For its part, Northern Cement modified its pneumatic transport motors into mechanical, and installed energy-saving devices in their plant. In Mindanao, Pacific Cement maximises recycling of hot air products used for drying, in addition to tapping alternative fuels.