The International Finance Corp (IFC) has proposed a US$150m investment 'A Loan' to Votorantim Cimentos SA for a capex project to enhance the cement co-processing capacity of Salto’s plant, in São Paulo State, Brazil, by upgrading kiln W4 and building a new residue-derived fuel (RDF) facility for refining solid non-hazardous and hazardous waste with an installed capacity of 120,000tpa.
Currently, the Salto plant substitutes fossil fuels with approximately 34 per cent of alternative fuels (using biomass, wood chips, used tyres, RDF and hazardous RDF (HRDF)). After the upgrade RDF, HRDF and tyres will be used. Following the upgrade of Kiln W4 the project aims to approximately double use of alternative waste fuels. The upgrade will include increasing calciner residence time, converting the electrostatic precipitators of the raw mill to bag filters and installing a selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) system to control NOx emissions.
The Salto plant is located in the municipality of Salto de Pirapora. The plant has been in operation since 1977. The total site comprises 242km2 and includes two limestone quarries, Ponte Alta and Salto. Limestone is transported by an overhead closed conveyor belt from the Ponte Alta quarry that crosses the road and by truck on internal roads from the Salto quarry. The nearest town is Piraporinha, 3.2km to the south and a small community at Alta Vista, 1.5km to the west.
