Buzzi Unicem and ACSR presented their virtuous example of public-private collaboration for environmental and community sustainability in Robilante on Friday, March 14. The meeting highlighted the benefits of using Secondary Solid Fuel (CSS), produced from the dry fraction of municipal waste collected at local plants and used in co-firing at the local cement plant from 2023.

The event was attended by important institutional figures such as Luca Robaldo, president of the Province of Cuneo, and local mayors, along with experts such as Enrico Brizio, director of Arpa Cuneo, and representatives of Legambiente and the Piedmont Waste Authority. The project has had a positive impact on sustainability, reducing CO₂, NOx and SOx emissions through the use of CSS, which has partially replaced traditional fossil fuels. “This innovative model of valorizing a waste has allowed all these years to recover the dry fraction of municipal waste, transforming it into an alternative fuel that can partially replace traditional fossil fuels used to produce cement. Even today, our province has the only integrated system with production of CSS from municipal waste nationwide,” said Giancarlo Isaia, president of ACSR.

“The integration of CSS in the cement production process has represented a significant step forward in environmental sustainability for our company, allowing us to reduce CO₂, NOx and SOx and heavy metal emissions thanks to the reduced combustion of fossil coal,” adds Marco Duranda, director of the Buzzi Unicem plant in Robilante. In 2024, we also completed a new CSS plant equipped with a Vecobelt® transport system to improve efficiency and increase the consumption of Secondary Solid Fuel, and for the next few years we plan further investments aimed at optimizing the production process even more and reducing direct and indirect CO₂ emissions.”

The project is the result of a synergy between public and private entities, with scientific support from Milan-Bicocca University for life cycle assessment (LCA). CSS is produced from the dry fraction of municipal solid waste and, through a refining process, optimizes its calorific value, becoming an energy alternative for cement production. This approach contributes to the circular economy by avoiding landfill occupancy and reducing emissions from other forms of waste disposal.