Geocycle Mexico declares war on landfills
A Polaris 2200 shredder has been in operation in the Mexican city of Orizaba since April 2018. Now that one year has passed, Operations Manager Esteban Heredia is taking stock: ‘Mexicans’ purchasing power is growing steadily. That’s good for the people but it also leads to much more waste. Our clear goal is to ensure the planet is clean. Sustainability is also of paramount importance to our parent company Lafarge Holcim and that’s why we were looking for a smart, universally deployable solution to recover this municipal solid waste in our cement works in an environmentally friendly way. A year ago, we opted for this one-step processing solution from Lindner and their Mexican sales partner GTA Ambiental. Thousands of tons of alternative fuels later, we are now aiming to increase our capacities.’
The Polaris shredders are highly specialised industrial machines for one-step waste processing and subsequent co-processing in the precalciner. Of course, economic factors do play an important role in this regard. To keep production costs low and uptimes high, Lindner has engineered a particularly sturdy and efficient shredder with the tried-and-tested Lindner belt drive and incredibly robust machine components. But it’s not only productivity that counts – the final output is also crucial. ‘Cement manufacturing is a very energy-intensive process. To achieve the required high temperatures in the most ecologically beneficial and consistent way possible, quality and specific characteristics, such as an exact particle size, are essential. To guarantee high-quality cement, we must provide the perfect fuel too. With Lindner and GTA Ambiental’s solution we have found the best technology for us,’ explains Esteban Heredia.
Not only the sophisticated engineering but also the right service is key. Juan M. Vargas Ramírez, Service Operator at Geocycle, commented: ‘When we received the machine, we were trained to operate, adjust and maintain it. We can actually do most of the work ourselves. If we do need technical support for major overhauls or if we have any questions, Lindner and GTA Ambiental are the perfect partners.’