The EIA Process

Although undated, the NPC BID (Background Information Document) appears to have been issued in the first part of 2003. Later, in September 2004, the Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) were notified that NPC intended to put the project on hold while pursuing upgrade projects at the factory. On the 14th of December, 2006, a letter was sent to I&APs indicating that a draft scoping report was available, and the Final Scoping Report was submitted in April 2007.

The Natal Portland Cement process is being handled by SRK Consulting and project documents are published.

At the beginning of 2004 Holcim (now Afrisam) began their bid for permission to burn alternative fuels in their cement kilns by submitting EIAs to the provincial departments of environmental affairs in the Northern Cape, for their kiln in Ulco, and to the North West Province for their Dudfield plant near Lichtenburg. The applications were handled by Bohlweki Environmental.

The Dudfield RoD, issued in November 2005, was a negative one, disallowing the process,
while the Ulco RoD (Record of Decision), issued in February 2006, was a positive one, allowing for the burning of AFRs.

groundWork is the organisation co-ordinating opposition to the burning of waste in cement kilns, and groundWork appealed the Ulco decision, as did Earthlife Africa. From a letter received it initially appeared that the appeal and community input was being taken seriously, but later a refusal was issued.

A new BID for Dudfield was issued in December 2006. This time the EIA process is being handled by Mark Wood Associates (who has no web presence), although the public participation process has been run by Golder Associates Africa.

In July 2006, PPC made application to proceed with an EIA for five of their seven plants. The Background Information Document (BID), was the same for all plants. Extended Scoping Reports for Hercules, Slurry, Port Elizabeth and Dwaalboom were finalised and submitted to the Provincial departments between May and October 2007, while a draft scoping report is available for De Hoek.

Their Environment Assessment Practitioner (EAP) is Marsh Vikela. They have posted fragmented project documents.

In mid-2007 it appeared that the DEAT (Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism) had taken control of the EIA process and that the provincial departments were no longer responsible. As groundWork had long being calling for, the DEAT embarked on a National Policy Development Process for High Temperature Thermal Waste Treatment and Cement Kiln Alternative Fuel Use (HTTWT process).

Although the HTTT policy has not yet been approved by the Minister, the GDACE saw fit to issue a Record of Decision for the Hercules Cement Kiln 5 which falls under its jurisdiction. Please refer to the Hercules community section for more info.

This section last checked or updated: 30 October 2008

The DEAT National Policy on High Temperature Thermal Waste Treatment and Cement Kiln Alternative Fuel Use

Documents

Related legal and policy documents are:

Comments & Responses

Presentation of Agenda, Purpose & Way Forward

Presentation of Co-processing key findings

Presentation of Guidelines for AFR Co-processing

Presentation of Incineration key findings

Presentation of Key Issues raised by stakeholders

Presentation of SA Hazardous Waste Profile

Proposed AFR Co-processing conditions of Authorisation

Proposed AFR Co-processing Emission Standards

SA Hazardous Waste Profile

This section last checked or updated: 29 October 2008

Tyres

One of the primary "alternative fuels" being spoken about in South Africa is tyres, which are perceived to be an enormous problem in South Africa. An organisation called South African Tyre Recycling Process Company (SATRP Co) has been set up by the tyre industry. In order for them to begin the process, it was apparently necessary for tyre regulations (2007) to first be promulgated. These were poorly drafted and did not properly address the problems, as is outlined in groundWork's comments.

A second set of Waste Tyre Regulations (2008) were released. These were substantially better, although groundWork still made comment.

In addition to this there is a draft Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the DEAT and SATRP Co.

groundWork has released a report which attempts to address the issues surrounding the use of tyres as fuel.

This section last checked or updated: 29 October 2008

South African Cement Communities

The South African cement communities are working together to fight the cement companies. Their primary concerns relate to the current operation of the kilns, as most of the communities are subject to a great deal of dust and there is a high incidence of lung disease in these communities, and to the proposals to burn waste in the kilns.

A meeting of the all the communities was held in Port Elizabeth on the 27th and 28th of October. This press release outlines the purpose of the meeting. A full report of what turned out to be a very successful meeting will be posted shortly.

This section last checked or updated: 30 October 2008

Lichtenburg

Lichtenburg and surrounds are home to two cement factories, Afrisam and Lafarge.

Afrisam Dudfield Plant

The Afrisam (previously Holcim) Dudfield plant is located near Lichtenburg in the North West Province. It currently recieves limestone feedstock from a nearby limestone quarry, while coal is brought in to the plant by rail. Dudfield's kiln 3 has been recently upgraded. The upgrade included the installation of a low-NOx multichannel primary burner which allows for multiple energy sources to be introduced into the kiln. It has also been fitted with a pre-calciner and a bag filter with a design particulate emission limit of 30mg/Nm3.

Lafarge Lichtenburg Plant

The Lafarge (previously Blue Circle) plant is said, by Lafarge, to be the biggest and most modern plant in South Africa. It is difficult, however, to establish anything about the plant. So far, Lafarge have not entered the AFR fray.

This section last checked or updated: 29 October 2008

Hercules

The Hercules cement plant was the first in South Africa, producing its first cement in December 1980. Hercules supplies Surebuild, Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Rapic Hardening Cement (RHC). The limestone for the plant comes about 80km, by rail, from the Beestekraal Quarry. There are two kilns, kilns 4 (commissioned in 1965) and 5 (commissioned in 1974). Kiln 4 is 114 metres long, with a single stage pre-header. Kiln 5 is shorter, at 66 metres, and has a 4-stage pre-heater. A planetary clinker cooler cools the clinker and both kilns have conditioning towers are are equipped with ESPs to limit dust emissions. An ESP is also fitted to one of the three cement mills. The other two are equipped with bag filters.

A summary APPA permit indicates that this plant is permitted to burn scrap tyres and sewerage sludge in kiln 5. This permit has expired and groundWork has requested a copy of the renewed permit. What we received was this.

On 3 October 2008, a Record of Decision for the Hercules Kiln 5 to burn waste was issued. groundWork has appealed this RoD.

This section last checked or updated: 3 November 2008

Slurry

The Slurry plant is located in the North West Province, near Lichtenburg, in the Mafikeng Municipality. It was the second PPC factory and commenced production in 1916. Slurry makes OPC, Surebuild and RHC (Rapid Hardening Cement). Part of the production is sent to smaller plants (Port Elizabeth, Jupiter and Hercules) to supplement their production. Some is exported to Botswana where it is processed further. A quarry adjacent to the factory provides raw materials, which are also distributed to smaller plants. There are 4 kilns currently in operation. Kilns 5 (commissioned in 1959) and 6 (commissioned in 1960) are long dry kilns. They are not fitted with pre-heaters. Both kilns are 145 metres long and 3.45 meters in diameter. Kiln 7 (commissioned in 1968) is a large kiln, being 4.55 metres in diameter. It is fitted with a 1 stage preheater. Kiln 8 (commissioned in 1976), is fitted with a 4-stage preheater and a conditioning tower for cooling the exit gases. It is 5.25 metres in diameter. All the kilns are fitted with planetary clinker coolers and ESPs to limit dust emissions. The raw mill is also equipped with an ESP, as are three of the finishing mills, one of which also has a bag house filter.

Although, in terms of groundWork's PAIA application, we should have been furnished with a copy of the APPA operating permit for the Slurry plant, we were not and our request to be given a copy has been ignored.

This section last checked or updated: 29 October 2008

Port Shepstone

The factory at Simuma Farm, which is about 13km north of Port Shepstone, is owned by Natal Portland Cement (NPC). Both a clinker manufacturing facility and a quarry are situated on the site. A second kiln is currently being commissioned on the site. It will be equipped with a baghouse, precalciner and grate cooler. At the moment the clinker is taken by rail to NPC's Durban milling operation, where it is milled and made into first Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and then further blanded into other products. As a result of extensions, some of the clinker will be milled on-site in future.

This section last checked or updated: 29 October 2008

New Brighton, Port Elizabeth

The PPC factory in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, began manufacture in 1928. It produces Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Surebuild cement. When necessary, production is supplemented with clinker and/or cement from the Slurry plant. Limestone comes by rail from the PPC Grassridge quarry, about 40km away. There is a single long dry kiln (commissioned in 1966). It is not equipped with a pre-heater, although a planetary cooler cools the clinker. There is also no conditioning tower and the exit gases from the kiln are cooled by direct water injection. Dust emissions from the raw mill, finishing mill and kiln are minimised by passing exhaust gas streams through ESPs.

Residents are experiencing increasing dust problems from the site, and report that chronic chest problems are the norm.



As can be seen from the summary permit the permit that we were supplied by the DEAT is very old. We have asked whether there is a more current one, but have not received a response.

This section last checked or updated: 29 October 2008

Riebeeck

The Riebeeck plant is in the Western Cape Province, near Riebeeck West. It first began manufacturing cement in 1960, and produces Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Rapid Hardening Cement (RHC). The Limestone comes from the Riebeeck Quarry which is next to the plant. There are two kilns in operation, kiln 1 (commissioned in 1959) and kiln 2 (commissioned in 1968). Kiln 1 is a long dry kiln, 145 metres long. Kiln 2 is a long kiln of 138 meters, with a 1-stage pre-heater. Both kilns have planetary clinker coolers. Kiln 2 has a conditioning tower to cool the kiln exit gases. The kilns and raw mills are all equipped with ESPs. One finishing mill is fitted with an ESP, while the other has a bag filter.

The summary permit does not indicate what fuels may be used, and is very old. A request to DEAT as to whether there is a newer permit has been ignored.

This section last checked or updated: 29 October 2008

Ulco

This section last checked or updated: 29 October 2008

Dwaalboom

The Dwaalboom plant is in the Thabazimbi Municipality in the Limpopo Province. It came into production in 1985, but was later mothballed because of a market turndown. In 1996, the factory recommenced manufacture, and now produces Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Surebuild cement. Raw materials come from the Dwaalboom quarry, which is next to the plant. There is a single kiln (commissioned in 1985). It has a 5-stage pre-header which feeds into a rotary kiln which has a diameter of 4.85 meters. From the kiln the clinker is dropped onto a grate cooler, which works more efficiently than planetary clinker coolers. To limit dust emissions, all exhaust gases from the kiln stack as well as the finishing mill stacks pass through ESPs. An indirect coal firing system is used, and the coal mill exhaust gas is dedusted in a bag filter, as is vent air from the grate cooler. Dwaalboom is being expanded to increase its capacity and a new pre-calciner kiln is expected to be commissioned in 2008.

The summary permit makes no reference to fuels, and is due to expire in September 2008.

This section last checked or updated: 29 October 2008

De Hoek

The PPC De Hoek manufacturing plant is in the Western Cape Province, near Piketberg. It came into production in 1921, although PPC only acquired it in the 1950s. De Hoek produces Surebuild and Rapid Hardening Cement (RHC). The limestone comes from the nearby Zoutkloof Quarry. There are two operational kilns, kiln 5 (commissioned in 1974) and kiln 6, commissioned in 1980. 4-stage pre-heaters, conditioning towers and planetary clinker coolers are fitted to both kilns. To limit dust emissions, both the two kilns and the two finishing mills are equipped with ESPs.

As the summary APPA permit indicates, no mention is made of what fuels may be used. This permit is very old but our query to DEAT as to the availability of a more current permit has not been responded to.

This section last checked or updated: 29 October 2008