A worker at VICEM Ha Tien Cement Joint Stock Company in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang (Photo: VNA)- The potential for co-processing waste, including non-recyclable plastic, as an alternative fuel in the cement industry in Vietnam is huge.Vietnam is a major cement producer with a capacity of more than 100 million tonnes of cement per year, said Associate Professor Luong Duc Long, deputy president of Vietnam National Cement Association.He spoke at a workshop on the co-processing of alternative fuels and raw materials in the Vietnamese cement industry, held by the Norwegian Embassy on September 29 in Hanoi. For example, it eliminates dioxin, reducing CO2 emissions by utilising waste.In terms of economic benefit, he said that co-processing waste will help reduce waste storage and handling costs, reduce waste burial and disposal space, take advantage of heat energy, and reduce coal consumption.However, he said the biggest barriers to using waste for cement production consist of ensuring stable waste collection and supply to cement manufacturers and co-processing technology in clinker incinerators.Do Xuan Thinh, technical expert of Vietnam National Cement Corporation (VICEM), also pointed out some disadvantages that the cement industry has to face when it applies co-processing waste currently.He said there is no stipulation relevant to granting costs for waste treatment in the cement production process and no supporting mechanisms and policies for entities participating in handling and treating ash, slag, synthetic gypsum, wastes and sludge.In addition, waste is not sorted out, collected and pre-processed by specialised entities to meet requirements for supplying and co-processing cement kilns. This results in unstable quality and low supply capacity.Thịnh suggested that the Government, the Ministry of Construction and relevant authorities review for amendments and supplements of some stipulations concerning the waste treatment and co-processing in cement production to create more favourable conditions for cement manufacturers participating in co-processing activities in the coming time.It is necessary to amend Decree No. 40/2019/ND-CP to include cement production facilities in the provincial environmental protection and construction plans so that the cement manufacturers could smoothly participate in waste co-processing activities.Because the decree currently regulates that the location of industrial ordinary solid waste co-processing facilities has to belong to the provincial environmental protection and construction plans. The programme intends to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.1, which states that the world should prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution by 2025.A regional project called OPTOCE investigates how the involvement of the Cement Industry can increase the treatment capacity for Non- Recyclable Plastic Wastes in five Asian countries, including Vietnam, thereby contributing to reducing the release of plastics into the sea./.

Source: Viet Nam News September 30, 2022 21:27 UTC