CHICAGO–(Business Wire)–LafargeHolcim in the US, its subsidiary, Geocycle, and CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) Monday announced a major milestone in their multi-year initiative with the first barge shipment of power plant coal ash, part of a project which will result in the recovery and recycling of more than six million tons of coal ash for beneficial reuse in producing cement.
“This significant circular-economy relationship with CenterPoint Energy is a powerful example of how our Geocycle recycling management business seeks out innovative solutions to turn our nation’s ecosystem challenges into opportunities that contribute value to our operations and advance our leadership commitment to a Net Zero future”
LafargeHolcim Ste. Genevieve cement plant (Photo: Business Wire)
LafargeHolcim, the nation’s largest cement producer, Geocycle, a provider of sustainable waste management solutions, and CenterPoint Energy, which operates two coal-fired generation plants in southwestern Indiana, invested on a combined basis over $80 million in infrastructure to remove, process, transport, store and recycle the coal ash produced at CenterPoint Energy’s A.B. Brown generating station in Evansville, Indiana, for use at LafargeHolcim’s flagship cement plant in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri—reducing the cement plant’s consumption of natural materials, such as clay and sand.
“This milestone is a tangible example of how industry participants together can develop creative and efficient solutions that contribute to the circular economy. Together, LafargeHolcim, Geocycle and CenterPoint Energy will avoid landfilling for power plants and reduce the consumption of non-renewable raw materials. This is a clear win-win for people and our planet,” said Toufic Tabbara, CEO, US Cement for LafargeHolcim in the US.
The teams recently achieved the first barge shipment of nearly 2,000 tons of the reclaimed material—containing mostly bottom ash with some fly ash—from the 165-acre pond at CenterPoint Energy’s A.B. Brown plant. Geocycle has managed the ongoing initiative between LafargeHolcim and CenterPoint Energy since 2009.
“Our multi-year initiative with LafargeHolcim and Geocycle has been the ideal solution as it has allowed for the material to be removed from the environment and used for beneficial purposes,” said Steve Greenley, Senior Vice President, Indiana Electric Operations for CenterPoint Energy. “CenterPoint Energy’s decision to recycle the coal ash has reduced the impact on the environment and allowed for a choice with less financial impact than other compliance options.”
Used as fuel for one-quarter of electricity generation in America, coal creates two kinds of combustion waste: fly ash and bottom ash, a sandy sludge. According to the American Coal Ash Association, only 52 percent of the 78.6 million tons of coal ash produced in electricity generation in 2019 was beneficially reused. The balance—37.6 million tons—was disposed of in landfills or retention ponds. There are more than 2 billion tons of landfilled ash in the US. To mitigate environmental risks, federal regulations are mandating the closure of ash ponds and encouraging the recycling of the materials to achieve environmental and economic benefits.
With careful material sourcing and testing, this initiative advances the treatment of ponded coal-ash material for beneficial reuse in the production of more environmentally friendly concrete mixes. This beneficiation technology, which included trials on CenterPoint Energy’s ponded coal ash, is being deployed in select markets that are experiencing fly-ash shortages due to the ongoing retirement of coal-fired power plants in the US.
“This significant circular-economy relationship with CenterPoint Energy is a powerful example of how our Geocycle recycling management business seeks out innovative solutions to turn our nation’s ecosystem challenges into opportunities that contribute value to our operations and advance our leadership commitment to a Net Zero future,” said Sophie Wu, Head of Geocycle North America.
Since 2009, Geocycle has managed the ongoing supply of nearly 1.5 million tons of dry fly-ash waste from CenterPoint Energy’s A.B. Brown, F.B. Culley and Warrick generating stations for beneficial reuse at the Ste. Genevieve cement plant. This barge shipment represents the next phase in the long-term collaborative relationship between the companies.
About CenterPoint Energy
As the only investor-owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. As of September 30, 2021, the company owned approximately $37 billion in assets and also owned 53.7 percent of the common units representing limited partner interests in Enable Midstream Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns, operates and develops strategically located natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets. With approximately 9,500 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.
About Geocycle
Geocycle LLC, a US subsidiary of Holcim (US) Inc., is a part of the global Geocycle network, which represents over 80 waste pre-treatment facilities and over 180 cement plants with dedicated pre-processing and co-processing installations. Geocycle rethinks waste challenges to provide innovative ways to manage it. Our promise is clear: we work relentlessly to bring society a step closer to a zero-waste future. Geocycle applies the proven pre-processing and co-processing technologies to recover energy and recycle materials from waste, contributing to a regenerative, circular economy that closes resource cycles. Geocycle operates 20+ facilities across the United States, and its customers include many Fortune 500 companies. Last year, regardless of the challenges posed by the pandemic, Geocycle reduced the amount of waste going to landfills nation-wide significantly, which resulted in more than 280,000 tons of CO2 savings. This is an equivalent of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 60,754 passenger vehicles driven for one year.
About Holcim
Holcim builds progress for people and the planet. As a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, Holcim is enabling greener cities, smarter infrastructure and improving living standards around the world. With sustainability at the core of its strategy, Holcim is becoming a net-zero company, with its people and communities at the heart of its success. The company is driving the circular economy as a world leader in recycling to build more with less. Holcim is the company behind some of the world’s most trusted brands in the building sector, including ACC, Aggregate Industries, Ambuja Cement, Disensa, Firestone Building Products, Geocycle, Holcim and Lafarge. Holcim is 70,000 people around the world who are passionate about building progress for people and the planet through four business segments: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete, Aggregates and Solutions & Products. More information is available on www.Holcim.com.
LafargeHolcim in the US includes close to 350 sites in 43 states and employs 7,000 people. Our customers rely on us to help them design and build better communities with innovative solutions that deliver structural integrity and eco-efficiency.