The town of Kunda on the northern coast of Estonia has always been known for its high level of pollution, especially the cement dust that used to cover everything around it. The company has, however, been investing in more environment friendly technologies for more than a decade. The newly installed feeding lines will help reduce CO2 emissions by another 5%.
The greatest advantage of the new technology is the possibility of using waste instead of oil-shale, which is a highly polluting low grade fuel.
The grinded waste materials include paper, plastics, textiles and waste oils. Any residue left after the 2000 ºC combustion will be incorporated into the cement. This means that an annual 85 000 tonnes less waste will end up in landfills.
At the official opening ceremony the Estonian Minister of Environment. Jaanus Tamkivi commended the company for being a step ahead of others in the industry in their environmental thinking and setting an example for others to follow. Margit Rüütelmann from the Estonian Waste Management Association rejoiced at the new solution for recycling sorted waste, for which there has not been many areas of use.
Kunda Nordic Tsement has proved itself as a valuable partner not only for the Ministry and waste management authorities, but is also cooperating closely with the Tallinn Technical University, the Estonian Environmental Research Center, RECi Estonia as well as the town of Kunda and the surrounding county of Lääne-Virumaa, all of which were represented at the opening ceremony.
Learn more about the project here.