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CEMENT AMERICAS • Fall 2014 • www.cementamericas.com FEATURE ALTERNATIVE FUELS 14 By Josephine Smith Have a Cup of Fuel AT LAFARGE, USED K-CUPS PACK A SECOND LIFE AS AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL. L afarge Canada Inc. and Van Houtte Coffee Services Inc. have partnered to reduce the environmen- tal footprint of both organizations by replacing a portion of Lafarge's fossil fuel energy at the Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, cement plant with 70,000 lb. annually of used K-Cup coffee and tea packs. "As part of its worldwide Sustainabil- ity Ambitions to minimize fossil fuel use and their related greenhouse gas emissions, Lafarge is proud to be the recipient of used K-Cup packs, which are helping manufacture a critical building material," commented Bob Cooper, vice president of cement for Lafarge in western Canada. The idea was generated by the Kam- loops plant's employees while dis- cussing small steps to take toward alternative fuel substitution. Looking at the plant's site-generated waste stream, the K-Cups seemed like a great idea, explained Eric Isenor, La- farge Kamloops plant manager. Isenor continued: "A local distributor of the K-Cups – Van Houtte Coffee Serv- ices – was approached to discuss whether they had interest in working with us. They were very enthusiastic about an option to divert K-Cups from landfills." With the larger supply that Van Houtte was able to collect from other commer- cial accounts in the British Columbia in- terior and Lafarge's own used K-Cups, the plant proceeded with tests and the permitting needed to gain government approval for the alternate fuel. The Kamloops plant has been using the K-Cups for almost a year. No new equipment was needed to process the used coffee packs. The K-Cups are stored in large containers under the kiln to dry. From there, the containers are emp- tied into the plant's alternative fuel (wood chips) stockpile and then processed through a small shredder before being blown into the kiln through the burner pipe. The substi- tution level has been increasing as more local companies and residents find out about the alternative fuel program and contribute used K-Cups. "Innovation is at the heart of our ac- tions and addressing the environ- mental impact of Keurig brewing systems is a critical priority." stated Morten Schroder, district manager British Columbia, Van Houtte Coffee Services. "The partnership between