A guide to
solid recovered fuel
Putting waste to good use and producing
a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels
SITA UK is a national recycling
and resource management company.
We provide recycling and waste
management services for organisations
throughout the UK and produce a large
range of high-quality products from the
materials that we collect and process.
What are the benefits?
Using solid recovered fuel instead of coal or petcoke helps
to preserve natural resources and to reduce emissions.
Solid recovered fuel is helping cement producers to
achieve a fuel substitution rate of over 70 per cent,
significantly reducing the impact that their operations
have on the environment.
We are a major producer of solid recovered fuel –
a high‑quality and high-calorific fuel produced predominantly
from commercial and industrial wastes, which is used as a
fuel in the production of cement, lime and other materials.
Materials that would otherwise be landfilled are put to
good use as a sustainable fuel and solid recovered fuel
reduces the need to mine virgin coal deposits and
import it into the UK.
Producing solid recovered fuel from non-recyclable
materials means that we can provide our customers
with a sustainable alternative to landfill, and provide the
cement industry and other users with a sustainable
alternative to fossil fuels.
The environmental and economic benefits of using solid
recovered fuel as a fossil fuel replacement are significant:
++ Reduced reliance on expensive, finite fossil fuels
++ Reduced carbon footprint and increased
sustainability performance
What is solid recovered fuel?
Solid recovered fuel – also known as SRF – is a fossil fuel
replacement which has a calorific value of between 17 and
22 mega joules per kilogramme.
SITA UK collects commercial material and processes it into
solid recovered fuel. The material is pre-sorted before it
goes through a high-tech processing line and is always fully
audited to ensure the quality of the material
meets the highest standard.
++ Reduced environmental impact through
lower emissions at the cement plant
++ Security of supply and quality of solid recovered fuel
++ High calorific value – one tonne of coal is equivalent
to approximately one and a half tonnes of
solid recovered fuel
Packaging and
distribution
to consumer
Solid recovered fuel
and the circular economy
product use
RAw materials
The circular economy is a collaboration between the
manufacturing and service sectors for the collective
benefit of the economy and environment.
Within the circular economy, the role of waste
management is to collect, treat and return secondary
resources and recovered energy back into the cycle
of production and consumption.
Primary
Resources
product
Manufacture
energy
end of life
secondary
Resources
We can only operate effectively in the circular
economy if markets can be found for the products
we create. Maintaining product quality is vital and,
therefore, at the centre of our business strategy.
materials
Producing solid recovered fuel demonstrates the
circular economy in action. We process residual
waste to produce a fuel that can be used in
manufacturing as a sustainable alternative to
fossil fuels. This reduces the need for primary
resources, such as coal, and ensures waste is
put to good use as a secondary resource.
You can see how the solid recovered fuel process
feeds into the circular economy diagram here:
greenhouse
gas savings
recovered
energy
The end product –
solid recovered
fuel – is used as a
replacement for
fossil fuels
landfill
waste generation
collection
and logistics
Residual waste is
collected mainly from
businesses
recycling
Any metals in the
residual waste are
extracted and recycled
energy recovery
Remaining material is
shredded and blended to
the end user specification
How is solid recovered
fuel transported?
Our solid recovered fuel facilities have been strategically
placed to ensure minimal haulage is required to transport
the fuel. In the UK, they are located in close proximity to
cement works or at ports where the material can be
bailed-and-wrapped and loaded directly into ships.
Transporting solid recovered fuel is significantly less carbon
intensive than transporting waste by road and disposing
of it in landfill. As the solid recovered fuel is also being
used in the direct displacement of fossil fuels, it is a much
more environmentally-friendly way of dealing with this
material. SITA UK also charters its own vessels from its
own ports using a specialist team of shipping experts,
ensuring that the fuel is transported safely and on time.
How is solid recovered
fuel produced?
How is solid recovered
fuel regulated?
The materials used to produce solid recovered fuel pass
through a series of shredders, screens, air classifiers and
magnets. Inert materials, recyclable plastics and metals
are extracted from the shredded material, leaving a mix
of mainly non-recyclable paper, card, wood, textiles
and plastic. While a small proportion of these materials
can be recycled – our preferred option where possible –
the quality of these materials is compromised once they
enter the residual waste stream and recovering energy from
these materials is then the best environmental option.
Solid recovered fuel has already been through rigorous
emissions trials and assessments by the cement industry’s
regulators in the UK and Europe. In the UK, the Environment
Agency monitors both the fuel producers and fuel users
to ensure it is fit for purpose. Any company wishing to
supply solid recovered fuel to a facility abroad must obtain
an export licence from the Environment Agency for each
specific contract to ensure that the whole process –
from the material being used, to the transportation and
the credentials of the end user – is environmentally sound.
SITA UK has a 100 per cent success rate in obtaining
these licences, and supplies over 350,000 tonnes of fuels
to customers each year.
Solid recovered fuel is shredded to between zero and
30 millimetres, and can be blended to meet the exact fuel
specification requested by customers. It can be delivered
loose or baled-and-wrapped so it can be bulk-shipped
or stored.
Solid recovered fuel is a ‘zero to landfill’ fuel – even the
ash that is produced, as a by-product of burning the fuel,
is used in the cement production process to replace
natural aggregate.
In addition to this, SITA UK places a financial guarantee
(bond) on all solid recovered fuel loads sent overseas.
In the unlikely scenario that the fuel is not deemed to meet
a specific set of environmental criteria when it arrives with
the customer, the costs of shipping the materials back to
the UK and disposing of this material are covered.
SITA UK’s experience
SITA UK has been producing solid recovered fuel since
2010 and supplied its first batch to cement producers in
September 2011.
With the opening of our first dedicated solid recovered
fuel facility in Kent in summer 2012, followed by another
new facility in Birmingham in 2013, SITA UK is now the
largest supplier of solid recovered fuel to cement
producers in the UK and abroad.
SITA UK was awarded Alternative Fuel Supplier of the Year
at the seventh Global CemFuels Awards in early 2013 –
the first company in the UK to win this prestigious award.
Typical solid recovered
fuel specification: Key parameters*
Parameter
Limit
Particle size
Typically < 35mm in any two
dimensions and < 5mm in
at least one dimension
free of metals, glass and rubble
Calorific value
using BS10165 guidelines
17 – 22 megajoules
per kilogramme
SITA UK began a 25-year solid recovered fuel supply
contract with CEMEX UK in April 2013 and will become
the sole supplier of solid recovered fuel to their largest
UK cement works at Rugby. SITA UK will also operate an
additional facility adjacent to the cement works.
Moisture
< 15 per cent w/w
Chlorine
< 0.9 per cent w/w
Sulphur
< 0.5 per cent w/w
SITA UK’s parent company, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT,
has also been producing high-specification fuels from
waste materials for over 15 years in Europe.
* Full analysis available on request
gross dry basis,
Contact us
Solid recovered fuel is one of SITA UK’s energy products.
To find out more about our range of energy products or talk
to us about your requirements:
Tel 0870 421 1122
Email energyproducts@sita.co.uk
SITA UK, SITA House, Grenfell Road
Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 1ES
www.sita.co.uk
@sitauk
facebook.com/sitauk