World first net zero fuel trial success at Ribblesdale
A cement kiln at our Ribblesdale works in Lancashire has successfully been operated using a net zero fuel as part of a world first demonstration using hydrogen technology.
The trial, made possible by Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) funding provided through the Mineral Products Association (MPA), used a mix of 100 per cent net zero fuels including hydrogen for commercial scale cement manufacture for the very first time.
During the demonstration, which is the culmination of several years of work, the proportion of fuels in the cement kiln’s main burner was gradually increased to a wholly net zero mix.
The mix consisted of tanker delivered hydrogen as well as meat and bone meal and glycerine – by-products from the rendering and biodiesel industries respectively.
“The trial demonstrated the pathway to moving away from using fossil fuels in cement and concrete production,” said environmental sustainability manager Iain Walpole.
“If fully implemented for the whole kiln system, nearly 180,000 tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year at Ribblesdale alone, compared to using the traditional industry fuel of coal at the site.
“We are already the largest producer of low carbon concrete in the UK, but the prospect of using hydrogen in the fuel mix at our cement plants will help us meet our ambition of supplying net zero carbon concrete by 2050.”
The trial at Ribblesdale follows a BEIS-funded feasibility study in 2019 which demonstrated that a combination of biomass, hydrogen and plasma energy could be used to eliminate 100 per cent of fossil fuel CO2 emissions from cement manufacturing.
The results from the project will be shared within wider industries and supply chains both in the UK and globally, with the aim of spreading and maximising the environmental benefits of the technology.