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The companies have been working together to boost recycling rates and cut the amount of waste sent to landfill.
Remsol advised Total Bitumen on methods for dealing with the several hundred tonnes of bitumen emulsion waste, which represented the single largest waste stream sent to landfill and was not recycled.
Recognising that the emulsion may hold a calorific value, Remsol consulted with a chemical processing firm to investigate whether it was possible to put the emulsion into a process where its energy could be extracted and re-used in a beneficial form.
After initial trials the bitumen emulsion was deemed suitable for use in secondary liquid fuel that is burnt in cement kilns as a replacement for virgin fuels.
By diverting this waste from landfill, the average annual recovery and recycling rate have been raised on site to 85% – peaking at 97% in one particular month. Recycling the bitumen emulsion is also less expensive than the landfill method.
Total Bitumen’s general manager, Mike Linley, said: “Total Bitumen is really pleased that the ongoing dedication to environmental responsibility and sustainability, demonstrated day in and day out by staff at the Preston site and our partners at Remsol has been recognised by the judges for the prestigious Lancashire Green Awards. We look forward to attending the awards as a shortlisted finalist.”
The winners of this year’s Lancashire Green Awards will be announced on Thursday 25th November.
Alison Brown
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