30 people enjoyed a tour of the Lafarge Richmond Cement Plant on October 16th. Participants began with an overview of plant operations and co-processing. Co-processing in cement manufacturing refers to the utilization of waste as a thermal energy source and/or raw material. This process helps to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and also reduces the need for extracting raw materials. With an increasing population, co-processing of waste will become a key component in waste management and disposal. Lafarge works with Metro Vancouver on permitting various alternate fuels and raw materials, ultimately diverting waste from landfills. The Lafarge Sustainability Ambition by the year 2020 is to have an alternate fuel replacement of 50%, the current rate of replacement for alternate fuels is 25%. Some examples of common fuels are construction demolition wastes, wood fibres, non-recyclable plastics and carpet fibre.
