New recycling station in Qattamiya to produce fuel

A new recycling station was inaugurated Sunday at a Suez Cement Group plant in Qattamiya, privately owned newspaper Al-Shorouk has reported.

The station, inaugurated by Environment Minister Laila Iskandar and Suez Cement CEO Bruno Carre, is intended to convert the plant's waste into fuel by producing charcoal and petroleum coke.

A statement released by Suez Cement said that the station is the first of its kind in Egypt, as it utilizes the latest technology.

The statement added that it took almost a year to build and cost the group 5 million euro.

The station will recycle 35,000 tons of waste to produce 20 percent of the plant's needed energy.

The project is in keeping with Suez Cement's plan to increase its use of recycled fuel, it said, and will help provide a wider range of energy sources and help decrease the use of natural gas and diesel, which are becoming scarce in Egypt.

Iskandar, a solid waste expert, allocated LE155 million of the ministry’s total budget for the year 2013-2014 to solid waste management and rice straw recycling.

The ministry has stated that importing coal as an alternative to natural gas for cement companies may be hazardous. Waste fuels were among the options presented, but they may not be enough, as 20 tons of waste produces only 2 tons of energy.    

The Suez Cement Qattamiya plant, which is just southeast of Cairo, was established in 1981.