Malaysia generates about 4.0 million tons of industrial hazardous waste (IHW) in 2021 and more than 70% of these wastes are landfilled and ii is a loss of energy resources as majority of these waste contains more than 8,000 kJ/kg of energy. Therefore, in this work selected industrial hazardous wastes were chosen to produce RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) as a mean to recover energy resources. The RDF production process was developed by combining various processes of sorting, weighing, mixing, drying, and fused them together in a process called Thermo-biofusion. The optimum operating conditions of IHW and biomass mixture was based on the calorific value (CV), volatile matter, fixed carbon, ash and moisture content. A production process was developed, and the RDF was produced and tested for potential utilization as a coal alternative in a cement manufacturing plant with varying RDF ratios, utilizing the optimum recipe. This study concluded that every ton of coal with 24,000 kJ/Kg CV could be replaced by approximately 1.5 tones of RDF. In terms of the efficiency of clinker and stack gas emission values, the substitution of 15 % of RDF to the coal at a feeding rate of 5 tons per hour in cement production did not cause any processing and quality issues in the existing cement production process. The study concluded that substituting 15 % of RDF with the coal in 5000 ton/day cement plant may reduce 112.8 USD/hour in operating cost. The advantages of co-combustion RDF with coal in the cement plant including reduction in the CO2 emission, cost reduction of clinker production due to the usage of inexpensive fuel, and preservation of resources. This work has proven that by combining pre-selected IHW, mixture of biomass, and adding appropriate additives, a coal-like RDF can be produced for cement kiln application that meet the energy and emission requirements.
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