Your waste stops being a waste if it is accepted into our Engineered Fuel program. Your waste is considered a Non-Hazardous Secondary Material (NHSM) per 40 CFR 241 and is a product in our fuel blend.
Your NHSM is screened, sorted, blended, and shredded into a product called Shredded Heat™.
Shredded Heat™ is an Alternative Engineered Fuel used by cement kilns to offset the use of natural resources like coal and natural gas. Typical NHSM materials are non-halogenated plastics, off-spec or expired consumer products, and general plant trash/debris.
Our process results in zero ash. Cement kilns are unique in their process of emissions control as 70% to 75% of the raw material to make cement is limestone. This limestone continues in process and is encapsulated in the cement, which means no ash on the back end, whereas typical Waste-to-Energy facilities have 20-25% ash destined for landfill.
Our process results in reduced emissions. Kiln temperatures are hotter than Waste-to-Energy facilities. With high combustion temperatures, long residence time, and a natural scrubber in limestone, cement kilns burn at a 99.99% DRE (destruction ratio efficiency) of contaminants.
In July 2019, months ahead of schedule, AHT was able to achieve its goal of ZERO LANDFILL when material was delivered to the VLS facility and converted to an AEF which resulted in the issuance of our first “Certificate of Recycling.” “We are very proud of this achievement, the hard work by all AHT employees to make this a success and we look forward to the partnership with VLS as we continue to minimize our environmental impact,” said Tim Miller in response to receiving this certificate. AHT will continue to develop both internal processes and external products for a positive impact on the future sustainability of our planet and natural resources.
Read more here: AHT achieves ZERO LANDFILL