Co-Processing Explained

What Co-Processing Is

Co-processing is the use of suitable waste as an alternative fuel and raw material in industrial processes, most commonly in cement production, where waste replaces part of the conventional fuel and raw materials used in the kiln. It is a recognised form of recovery that puts the energy and material content of suitable waste to use, while the high temperatures of the cement process treat the waste, so that co-processing both recovers value from waste and diverts it from landfill. For wastes with suitable properties, co-processing is among the most beneficial recovery routes.

For operations generating high calorific or suitable waste streams, co-processing offers a recovery route that captures the value in waste that might otherwise be landfilled. This guide explains what co-processing is, which wastes are suitable, how it works in cement production, and how a capable waste partner helps operations direct suitable waste to co-processing as part of their recovery programme.

Co-processing sits within the recovery level of the waste hierarchy, above disposal, because it captures the energy and material value of waste rather than simply discarding it. For the right wastes, it represents a way to recover value and divert from landfill simultaneously.

How Co-Processing Works

Co-processing works by feeding suitable waste into an industrial process, most commonly the cement kiln, where it serves as an alternative fuel, replacing part of the conventional fuel, or as an alternative raw material, replacing part of the raw materials. In the cement process, the very high kiln temperatures and long residence times mean the waste is consumed within the process, its energy content put to use and its mineral content incorporated into the product, so that little or no residue remains for separate disposal.

Because co-processing uses waste within an existing industrial process, it both recovers the value of the waste and treats it, combining recovery and treatment in one step. The suitability of a waste for co-processing depends on its properties, so waste streams are assessed for their suitability before being directed to co-processing, ensuring only appropriate wastes are used.

Which Wastes Are Suitable

Not all waste is suitable for co-processing, and suitability depends on the waste's properties. Wastes with useful energy content, such as certain high calorific industrial wastes, can serve as alternative fuel, while wastes with suitable mineral content can serve as alternative raw material. Common candidates include certain processed industrial wastes, refuse derived fuel produced from suitable waste, and some specific waste streams with appropriate properties.

Wastes are assessed for suitability before co-processing, considering their properties and how they behave in the process, so that only appropriate wastes are directed to it. This assessment is part of responsible co-processing, ensuring that the waste is genuinely suitable and that co-processing is the right recovery route for it. Where a waste is not suitable for co-processing, other recovery or treatment routes are used instead.

The Benefits of Co-Processing

Co-processing delivers benefits across recovery, diversion and resource use. It recovers the energy and material value of suitable waste, putting it to use rather than discarding it, diverts that waste from landfill, and substitutes for conventional fuels and raw materials in the industrial process. For suitable wastes, it is among the most beneficial recovery routes, capturing value and diverting from landfill in a single step.

For operations, directing suitable waste to co-processing means that waste which might otherwise be landfilled is instead recovered, supporting both diversion goals and the broader move toward resource recovery. As a recognised recovery route, co-processing also contributes to the diversion from landfill that operations increasingly need to demonstrate, and a capable waste partner helps identify and direct suitable streams to it.

Co-Processing in the UAE

The UAE hosts cement production, which provides the industrial process in which co-processing takes place, making co-processing a available recovery route for suitable wastes in the country. For operations generating suitable high calorific or appropriate waste streams, this means co-processing is a practical option within their recovery programme, helping divert suitable waste from landfill toward recovery.

Directing suitable waste to co-processing in the UAE is part of a broader recovery approach, in which each waste stream is directed to its best outcome and co-processing handles the suitable high calorific and appropriate streams. A capable waste partner assesses which of an operation's streams are suitable and directs them to co-processing, documenting the diversion as part of the operation's overall recovery record.

What Makes a Waste Suitable for Co-Processing

Co processing uses suitable wastes within an industrial process, such as cement manufacture, so that they substitute for conventional raw materials or fuels and are consumed within the process rather than landfilled. Not every waste is suitable, and whether a given stream can be co processed depends on its characteristics and on the acceptance criteria of the receiving facility. Wastes are assessed for their properties and for the presence of any constituents that would make them unsuitable, and only those that meet the facility's criteria are accepted. This assessment is central, because co processing depends on the waste being compatible with the process and handled correctly.

Because suitability is specific to the waste and the receiving facility, the practical path for an operation with a potentially suitable stream is to have the material assessed rather than to assume it qualifies. We help operations identify streams that may be suitable for co processing and direct them to appropriate facilities, with the material assessed against the receiving facility's acceptance criteria. We describe co processing in general terms and do not state calorific values, substitution rates, carbon savings or acceptance outcomes for any particular stream, the suitability and handling of a specific waste are confirmed through assessment and with our team and the receiving facility.

Co-Processing at a Glance

Streams Sometimes Suitable for Co-Processing

Subject to assessment, these streams can sometimes be suitable for co-processing as alternative fuel or raw material.

How Nazafah UAE Supports Co-Processing

Nazafah UAE helps operations direct suitable waste to co-processing as part of their recovery programme. We assess which of an operation's waste streams are suitable for co-processing, considering their properties, prepare and direct suitable high calorific and appropriate streams to co-processing in cement production, and handle the streams that are not suitable through other recovery or treatment routes, so each stream reaches its best outcome.

Across every stream directed to co-processing, we document the diversion achieved, giving operations the record of their recovery and diversion from landfill that supports cost management and environmental reporting. As part of an operation's overall waste programme, co-processing complements the recovery, recycling and treatment of its other streams, with one partner directing each to its best outcome.

• Assessment of which streams are suitable for co-processing
• Preparation and direction of suitable streams to co-processing
• Handling of unsuitable streams through other recovery routes
• Co-processing as part of a complete recovery programme
• Documentation of diversion from landfill for reporting

Related Services

Related Guides

Co-Processing FAQs