Oman Cement, the country’s leading cement manufacturer, says it has approved a decision to set up a facility at its Misfah complex that will harness energy from municipal solid waste to meet its expanding energy requirements.

The waste-to-energy plant will utilise Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) – a form of processed municipal solid waste – as an alternative source of energy supply to power its 3.6 million tonnes per annum capacity cement complex, located on the outskirts of the capital city.

“The company has decided to install a new Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) – a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) plant - to reduce natural gas consumption towards its initiative on decarbonization and in line with the country’s Vision 2040, and (this is) being followed up with the respective authorities,” Li Yeqing, Chairman of the Board of Directors, stated in Oman Cement’s financial results for Q1 2024.

RDF derived from municipal solid waste typically consists of different types of municipal waste, such as non-recyclable plastic and paper waste, wood chips and sawdust, and other mixed and combustible processed waste according to the required specifications.

Just over a year ago, Oman Environment Services Holding Company (be’ah) – the public sector entity overseeing the management of the solid waste sector including municipal waste – signed an MoU with Oman Cement to support the latter’s use of RDF as an alternative fuel for cement manufacturing.

Earlier in February 2020, be’ah had also formalized a deal to supply Oman Cement with processed scrap tyres as a fuel resource for use in the latter’s cement kilns. Under the agreement, be’ah had committed to supplying around 30,000 tons per annum of Tyre Derived Fuel (TDF) processed from scrap tyres.

Waste tyres are widely used as a fuel resource in cement kilns in a number of countries around the world, either as the primary fuel or in combination with natural gas and coal. Once stripped of their metal reinforcements, such as wires, the waste tyres are then shredded into chips, known as ‘Tyre Derived Fuel’ (TDF). These chips are typically used in high heat operations, such as cement kilns, waste-to-energy schemes, and power plants.

Publicly- traded Oman Cement is also pressing ahead with a number of initiatives to modernize its Misfah complex. According to Chairman Li Yeqing, the company is proceeding with the upgrade of plant capacity by debottlenecking and enhancing its existing Line-3 Cooler from 4,000 to 6,500 tonnes per day (TPD), leading to improvements in clinker quality and output.

Furthermore, a contractor has been tapped to install a Fly-Ash storage and handling system to support the production of Fly Ash-Oil Well Cement. Separately, an additionally packing and truck-loading unit will be installed to cater to the increased demand for cement, he said.

Oman Cement recorded a net profit after tax of RO 3.368 million during Q1 2024, which was up 40% from the corresponding Q1 20223 net of RO 2.391 million. The company is majority-owned by Hong Kong-based Huaxin International Holdings Limited through its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Mauritius-based Abra Holdings Limited.