What refuse derived fuel is, and what it is not
Refuse derived fuel is the part of mixed waste that burns, sorted, shredded and dried into a fuel with a known energy value. Here is how it is made, and the one word that decides its market: consistency.
The short version
Refuse derived fuel, RDF, is made by processing suitable waste into a fuel that can replace part of the fossil fuel an industrial plant burns. Using it alongside conventional fuel in a cement kiln is called co-processing. That is the definition the Adelaide University review of the field uses, and it is the one AERC works to.
How it is made
The plant AERC has designed runs four stages, and each one exists for a reason an off taker would recognise:
- Receive and sort. Mixed municipal waste arrives. Recyclables and inert material are pulled out first, so the fuel is made only from what burns and material with a second life goes back into recycling.
- Shred. The combustible fraction is cut to a consistent size, so it dries evenly and releases energy at a steady rate.
- Dry. Moisture is driven down so the fuel holds a predictable energy value. Water in the feedstock is energy the kiln has to spend before it gets any back.
- Supply. The fuel is delivered to cement kilns and industrial users under supply agreements. The four stages in depth.
RDF and SRF are not the same word
The Adelaide review found widespread confusion between refuse derived fuel and solid recovered fuel. SRF is the more highly standardised form of waste derived fuel, produced to a defined specification. RDF is the broader term. Both can be used in cement manufacturing, but the different terminology and quality standards make it hard to compare studies, interpret regulations and guarantee consistent fuel quality. When an off taker asks "which one are you offering", the answer is a specification, not a word.
Why consistency is the whole market
The same review puts it plainly: realising the potential of RDF takes more than replacing coal with waste. It needs consistent fuel quality, clear regulations and stronger evidence on environmental and economic impact. Cement manufacturers need confidence that an alternative fuel will perform consistently, meet environmental requirements and support safe, reliable production. That is why the sort, the shred and the dry stages matter more to a buyer than the tonnage.
Where it is already normal
CEMBUREAU, the European cement association, reports that alternative fuels have been used in the European cement industry since 1990, and that several plants now run at 90 to 100% substitution of conventional fuel. Solid recovered fuel and refuse derived fuel head its list of typical alternative fuels, alongside end of life tyres, sewage sludge and wood and paper waste. How a kiln uses it.
Where AERC stands
AERC is a concept to make refuse derived fuel at 7,500 tonnes of municipal waste a day. The consortium agreements are signed; the fuel specification, the off take agreements and the site are the work still to do, and the off takers are one of the four seats open. See the seats.
General information, checked 14 November 2026. Figures are quoted from the sources listed at the end; the source in force prevails. AERC is at concept stage: nothing here is an offer of securities or a promise of returns.