South Ferriby works has a nearly 80 year long history of providing cement. The works produces in the region of 800,000 tonnes of cement per annum (enough for more than 44,000 houses). It provides direct employment for nearly 150 people, supporting many more jobs indirectly.
The original cement factory was built in by 1938 by Eastwoods Humber Cement. The first chalk was dug by hand and transported by bucket conveyor to the works and the clay was excavated from behind the works and transported on a narrow gauge railway system. The works was commissioned by three German engineers, who were called home due to the outbreak of World War II before their work was completed.
Rugby Portland Cement Co.Ltd bought out Eastwoods Humber Cement in 1962 and installed a new kiln and conveyor. There are now two kilns in operations at South Ferriby: Numbers 2 and 3. The original kiln Number 1 was sold to a company in Jamaica following the works' first major plant upgrade in 1968.
Increasing the use of waste derived fuels as part-replacement for fossil fuels to heat the cement kilns is key to improving environmental performance at the plant. Secondary liquid fuels (SLF) have been used successfully since 2002. SLF is made from industrial liquid wastes that can't be recycled, such as paint, thinners, inks and varnishes, which are blended to a strict specification, that smells a bit like paint and looks like engine oil.
In 2007, CEMEX was granted permission by the cement industry regulator, the Environment Agency (EA), to use a waste-derived fuel, Climafuel®, to part-replace the fossil fuels used to heat the kiln at South Ferriby. Climafuel®, which is made from household residual and commercial waste, could substantially reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill.
The permission was granted following completion of an extensive trial, which showed significant environmental benefits, including a marked reduction in emissions of oxides of nitrogen (20 per cent), when Climafuel® is in use.
