Waste

Solid recovered fuels (SRFs): helping industry reduce carbon emissions

With us, industry can make a commitment to the circular economy and play an active role in reducing energy-related carbon emissions by using SRFs instead of fossil fuels.

What are solid recovered fuels (SRFs)?

Solid recovered fuels (SRFs) are substitute fuels made from non-hazardous waste produced by companies and consumers.

The waste is recovered from waste collection sites or directly from businesses, and is first sorted to remove any recyclable items.

The remainder is then processed and converted into heat, which is used to make products such as chemicals and agrochemicals, instead of burning traditional fossil fuels like gas or coal.

SRFs are generally made from waste plastic, paper, cardboard and wood. Using them reduces the environmental impact of industry by lowering its consumption of natural resources and the amount of waste sent to landfill.

Our references 


In France, we have six facilities that produce SRFs – Narbonne, Istres, Le Havre, Hénin-Beaumont, Lavilledieu and Inovest in La Réunion – and we are gradually converting some of our business waste recovery centres into high-performance recycling centres by introducing a complex fuel-making process.

In the UK, we are the only company that has formed long-term contracts with cement producers, supplying them with solid SRFs over a 25-year period.

40% reduction in fossil energy consumption at the Tereos sugar refinery and distillery in France

As part of our partnership with Tereos, 400 GWh of alternative thermal energy (in the form of steam) will be produced from SRFs every year from 2027. As a result, the Tereos sugar refinery and distillery in France will reduce its fossil energy consumption by 40%.

Production of sodium bicarbonate using energy from waste

With Humens, we are building an SRF-fired power plant with capacity of 55 MW. The electricity will supply Humens’ Novacarb plant, which is scheduled to come into service in 2025. We are also building up a local SRF supply chain for the site, which will be able to handle 140,000 tonnes of waste with high energy content, such as that resulting from economic activities and municipal waste (bulky waste, recycling rejects), every year.

Turning waste into fuel for a cement plant in the UK

We are managing a facility in Rugby that processes non-recyclable waste. The waste comes mainly from local authorities and businesses in the Midlands, and it is converted into a high-energy fuel called Climafuel®. Under a 25-year contract, we are supplying up to 200,000 tonnes of this fuel every year to cement producer Cemex.

Our expertise


Using our leading-edge technology in waste sorting, decontamination and shredding, we can convert a wide variety of non-recyclable waste into fuels, thereby helping to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill as well as dependence on fossil fuels. We have comprehensive expertise in the production of SRFs, which enables us to meet the expectations of our clients and ensure the quality and availability of these fuels.

As a pioneer in SRFs, we also have proven skills in designing, building and operating SRF production infrastructure, enabling us to handle the numerous technical, financial, regulatory and operational aspects involved.

We are able to put together reliable local supply chains for producing SRFs in the regions in which we operate.

That involves collecting, sorting, aggregating and storing waste, and transporting it to our SRF production units, in the most environmentally-friendly way possible.

* SUEZ has been supplying SRFs to cement producers for many years. In 2016, SUEZ took part in the first call for projects for producing heat from solid recovered fuels made from waste.

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