WORLD CEMENT TECHNOLOGY A SUPPLEMENT TO WORLD CEMENT
The Yard and Road Workshop Part I: Automation
& Webinar 26th October 2021 9am (New York), 2pm (London), 3pm (Berlin/Rome), 5pm (Dubai)
axians-ias.com/meet_us/
YOUR EXPERT IN CEMENT – FROM QUARRY TO DISPATCH
3 2 3
6 1
3
11 3
We are an experienced, international well-known supplier and have the right solution ready for any challenge in conveying, loading, filling, palletising and packaging technology.
4
We know how to transport bulk and bagged products that need to be conveyed and understand their specific properties.
12
5
5
7 8
This knowledge is fed into the development of all of our systems. With the focus on high quality, the use of the latest technologies and trends and our commitment to research and development guarantees that our solutions meet your current and future requirements.
10 9
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Overland Conveyor Stacker & Reclaimer Bucket Elevator Pipe Conveyor Alternative Fuel Handling Systems Apron Conveyor BEUMER fillpac® BEUMER paletpac® BEUMER stretch hood® BEUMER autopac® Bulk Loading equipment Ship Loading
beumer.com
W E
C O N V E Y
Q U A L I T Y
Preventive && Predictive Preventive Predictive Maintenance Tools Maintenance Tools • Information onon thethe condition • Information condition of your conveying equipment of your conveying equipment in real time, 24/7 in real time, 24/7 • Access to measurements • Access to measurements from anywhere from anywhere • Timely planning of repairs and • Timely planning of repairs scheduling for spares from and scheduling for spares from AUMUND warehouses AUMUND warehouses • Reduced running costs • Reduced costs and reliablerunning operation and reliable operation
AUMUND Foerdertechnik GmbH premas@aumund.de • www.aumund.com AUMUND Foerdertechnik GmbH premas@aumund.de • www.aumund.com
CONTENTS 05 Comment GREEN CEMENT 06 Pathways To Carbon Neutrality Richard P. Bohan, The Portland Cement Association, outlines a roadmap to carbon neutrality, enabling manufacturers to sustainably produce cement and limit their environmental impact across the cement and concrete value chain. 11 A Green Regime Karin Perissinotto, CalPortland, explains how the company is actively lowering its carbon footprint, while improving manufacturing processes and boosting efficiency. 17 Ready For Reduction Mark Mutter, JamCem, provides an overview of some of the new technologies on offer to help cement producers reduce their environmental impact. SOFTWARE, AUTOMATION & PROCESS CONTROL 24 Smooth Moves Kerry Dougan, Command Alkon, outlines the advanced technologies and automation solutions that could enable construction and trucking companies to streamline their operations and increase productivity. 29 The Magic Of Maintenance Fabio Mielli, Rockwell Automation, outlines how reliability-centred maintenance could help cement producers to increase equipment availability and reduce both unplanned downtime and overall maintenance costs.
33 Sustainability In Action Martin Provencher, AVEVA, discusses how the principles of operational excellence could help cement producers achieve their long-term sustainability and digital transformation goals. WASTE HEAT RECOVERY 38 Transformations In Turkey CTP Team details the installation of a waste heat recovery system for a cement producer in Turkey. ALTERNATIVE FUELS 44 Opportunity Knocks Peter Streinik, UNTHA Shredding Technology, considers the opportunities the cement industry could explore to ensure continued progress in the handling of waste, the co-processing of materials, and the production of alternative fuels. 49 Getting The Best Out Of SRF Stefan Scheiflinger-Ehrenwerth, Lindner Recyclingtech, details the challenges involved in SRF production and explains how they can be overcome. 52 Working Wonders With Waste Juliet Currie, Totus Environmental, reflects on the impact that both the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit have had on the market for hazardous and Solid Recovered Fuels, and discusses some of the opportunities for businesses looking to escalate their use of waste derived fuels.
WORLD CEMENT TECHNOLOGY
ON THE COVER Axians Industrial Applications & Services GmbH is owned 100% by VED IT GmbH, as a corporate holding of the ICT companies of VINCI in Germany. The core business is digitisation of the logistics supply chain in yard management and automation for closing the gap between IT and OT. Benefit from following modules: plant automation/automated weighing solutions, driver operated loading or mobile app with kiosk terminal or QR code, yard management waiting list to reduce waiting time, truck identification and organisation, cloud based wheel loader and forklift terminals, driver app support and electronic proof of delivery process, dispatch portal solution for electronic proof of delivery, and more. To find out more, visit: www.axians-ias.com
A SUPPLEMENT TO WORLD CEMENT
The Yard and Road Workshop Part I: Automation
& Webinar 26th October 2021 9am (New York), 2pm (London), 3pm (Berlin/Rome), 5pm (Dubai)
axians-ias.com/meet_us/
ALTERNATIVE FUEL PROCESSING? PYROROTOR® OFFERS MORE. PERIOD. Feed: Whole tires. Coarsest waste matter. Material with extremely poor burning properties. Process: Thermal substitution rates above 85 %. Handles and buffers fuel heat value fluctuations. Installation: Can be retrofitted into any existing plant. Can be integrated in any new pyro line. Maintenance: If you can maintain a kiln you can maintain our Pyrorotor. Proven technology and design. Not yet convinced? Conventional AF Solutions
Our Pyrorotor constantly revolves material with sufficient and adjustable retention time to guarantee a complete burn-out of your secondary fuels. You can use the coarsest materials, without extra pre-processing, to produce energy.
See how Pyrorotor works in our interactive application. Download it for free: khd.com/pyrorotor-app
Alternative Fuel Cost
KHD’s solution gives you a simpler procurement process, more sourcing options, unmatched thermal substitution rates, and above all, lower operational costs.
KHD’s Pyrorotor
Substitution Rate
Get more out of your plant.
COMMENT Managing Editor: James Little james.little@palladianpublications.com
Senior Editor: Elizabeth Corner elizabeth.corner@palladianpublications.com
Editor: David Bizley
david.bizley@palladianpublications.com
Editorial Assistant: Emily Thomas emily.thomas@palladianpublications.com
Contributing Editor: Paul Maxwell-Cook Production: Gabriella Bond
gabriella.bond@palladianpublications.com
Sales Director: Rod Hardy
rod.hardy@wpalladianpublications.com
Sales Manager: Ian Lewis ian.lewis@palladianpublications.com
Digital Events Coordinator: Louise Cameron louise.cameron@palladianpublications.com
Digital Administrator: Lauren Fox lauren.fox@palladianpublications.com
Digital Editorial Assistant: Bella Weetch bella.weetch@palladianpublications.com
Video Content Assistant: Molly Bryant molly.bryant@palladianpublications.com
Administration Manager: Laura White laura.white@palladianpublications.com
Reprints
reprints@worldcement.com
CBP006075
SUBSCRIPTIONS Annual subscription (published monthly): £160 UK including postage/£175 (e245) overseas (postage airmail)/US$280 USA/Canada (postage airmail). Two year subscription (published monthly): £256 UK including postage/£280 (e392) overseas (postage airmail)/US$448 USA/Canada (postage airmail). Claims for non receipt of issues must be made within 4 months of publication of the issue or they will not be honoured without charge. Applicable only to USA and Canada: WORLD CEMENT (ISSN No: 0263-6050, USPS No: 020-996) is published monthly by Palladian Publications, GBR and is distributed in the USA by Asendia USA, 17B S Middlesex Ave, Monroe NJ 08831. Periodicals postage paid New Brunswick, NJ and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to World Cement, 701C Ashland Ave, Folcroft PA 19032 Copyright © Palladian Publications Ltd 2021. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. All views expressed in this journal are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher, neither do the publishers endorse any of the claims made in the articles or the advertisements. Uncaptioned images courtesy of Adobe Stock. Printed in the UK. Palladian Publications Ltd 15 South Street, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7QU, UK Tel +44 (0)1252 718999 Fax +44 (0)1252 718992 Email: mail@worldcement.com Website: www.worldcement.com
2021 World Cement Technology
DAVID BIZLEY, EDITOR
H
ello and welcome to the inaugural issue of World Cement Technology. Whilst every issue of World Cement looks at new technologies, case studies, and important industry developments, we felt that it was right to provide a space devoted specifically to the absolute cutting-edge of innovation in the cement sector. That’s why the editorial in this special supplement is focused solely on the very latest in digital solutions and ‘green’ technologies. To give you a few examples of what’s coming up in this issue, we kick things off with a piece from the Portland Cement Association (pg. 06), Richard P. Bohan, guides us through the PCA’s roadmap to a carbon neutral cement industry, outlining key challenges and objectives. Then, driving the focus down to the plant level, Karin Perissinotto of CalPortland details the company’s efforts to boost output at its facilities whilst cutting emissions (pg. 11). Later on in the issue we have a piece from Fabio Miellie of Rockwell Automation, which looks at the role of computerised maintenance management systems in providing predictive maintenance coverage at cement plants (pg. 29). This is followed by a contribution from Martin Provencher of AVEVA that details the importance of operational excellence in achieving both sustainability and digital transformation goals. These are just a few examples of what’s on offer in this special issue which also includes features on waste heat recovery and alternative fuels. Now, if you want more of this kind of content, make sure to sign up to the WCT2021 online conference, which is taking place on 9 – 10 November. Featuring a two-day agenda, packed with technical presentations from cement industry experts, you’ll be sure to gain actionable business insights. At WCT2021, you can expect to hear from: LUBRILOG, FLSmidth, Titan Cement, thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, Holcim, and many more. In addition to the presentation agenda, we’ll also be holding live Q&A sessions across both days, so you can put your questions directly to the experts. On top of that, we’ll also be hosting a virtual exhibition where you can visit a range of booths, interact with company representatives and find the latest information on a range of products and services. And if that wasn’t enough, networking features such as live chat and video conferencing will enable you to chat and hold meetings with your fellow attendees. For more information, and free registration, head over to: www.worldcement.com/wct2021 I look forward to seeing you there. 5
PATHWAYS TO
G
reenhouse gases and global warming impact all aspects of society. The construction materials industry is no exception with a persistent focus on concrete and cement in particular. While it is evident that all industries must curb their own emissions to further avoid the worsening effects of climate change, the cement industry has a unique opportunity to leverage its existing culture of innovation and history of continuous process-improvement to be a leader in cutting its own CO2 emissions, and highlighting opportunities for its downstream consumers to do the same. The Portland Cement Association (PCA) is developing a roadmap to carbon neutrality across the entire cement and concrete value chain. Cement manufacturing, a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week process, is undeniably energy intensive. However, there are technologies available today, that along with new approaches and innovations, could significantly curb emissions from cement manufacturing with the right support. By collaborating with government,
6
scientists, industry experts and researchers, a balanced mix of regulatory and policy actions could unlock a portfolio of pathways for cement plants to reduce emissions. Concrete made with cement is durable, resilient and cost-efficient, making it a vital part of building structures that can better withstand the devastating impacts of climate change and play a role in achieving environmental sustainability across the United States. This roadmap enables manufacturers to sustainably produce cement and limit their environmental impact, while also highlighting opportunities across the entire value chain to reduce existing greenhouse gas emissions and avoid future emissions. PCA’s roadmap focuses on five areas of opportunity: clinker, cement, concrete, construction and carbonation (using concrete as a carbon sink). The entire value chain encompassing these categories is an integral part of tomorrow’s circular economy and each link has its own part to play in the roadmap to carbon neutrality and emissions reduction.
Richard P. Bohan, The Portland Cement Association, outlines a roadmap to carbon neutrality, enabling manufacturers to sustainably produce cement and limit their environmental impact across the cement and concrete value chain.
7
This ambitious and comprehensive industry-wide approach will allow America’s cement manufacturers to continue to deliver this critical material while also taking the first steps on the road to carbon neutrality.
Reducing emissions when producing clinker and cement While reducing the carbon footprint of cement is a challenge, there are levers that can enable manufacturers to reach new sustainability standards. The roadmap outlines a portfolio of emissions reduction strategies for cement plants, both immediate and in the future. There are opportunities to cut carbon by: (1) reducing emissions from the manufacturing process, (2) reducing combustion emissions through fuel switching and (3) increasing reliance on renewable energy sources. Additionally, manufacturers should advocate for R&D investments to advance carbon capture technology, which will be critical to limiting emissions in the long-term. Clinker production requires material temperatures of nearly 3000˚F and those temperatures can only be achieved with combustion. Manufacturers can reduce combustion emissions through fuel switching, replacing current fossil fuels with lower emissions alternatives, like natural gas, biomass- and waste-derived fuels which are commonly used in other parts of the world. Additionally, renewable sources of electricity like wind and solar eliminate the carbon dioxide created from fossil fuel power plants. Today, the industry’s fuel mix includes nearly 60% coal and petroleum coke, and while this varies from plant to plant, PCA’s roadmap seeks to cut that amount by a factor of five – with a goal of no more than 10% coal and petroleum coke use in 2050. While clinker and gypsum are integral components of cement, they do not have to be the only components. Most cements today already include finely ground limestone, inorganic processing additions, and precisely controlled amounts of sulfate. Tomorrow’s cements are poised to take even greater advantage of those materials. Optimising the ingredients in cements not only enhances the benefits of cement-based products, but reduces their carbon intensity. Manufacturers should produce and push for the increased adoption of Portland limestone cement (PLC) – a low carbon cement mixture that can immediately lower emissions by about 10%. Used in Europe for over 40 years, PLC meets US national standards and is accepted by nearly 40 other state Departments of Transportation. The PCA is hopeful that near-term acceptance can expand the existing market for this lower carbon cement product and set a positive example for other agencies across the nation. Carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) technology has the potential for the greatest emission reductions in the industry and will be critical to
8
achieving the cement sector’s goal. The release of CO2 is a chemical fact of life when manufacturing cement. CCUS technology can capture upwards of 90% of process and combustion emissions and counteracts these otherwise irreducible process emissions. This technology can be applied to many industries beyond cement, meaning that benefits and investment returns have impacts far beyond just cement manufacturing. Lengthy state and federal reviews for permitting often take at least five years before construction can ever start. These timeframes provide yet one more hurdle for potential CCUS project implementation at cement plants. By working with national and state leaders, these administrative and regulatory processes can be sped up, rapidly accelerating technology adoption while dramatically reducing financial risks.
Materials in use: Opportunities along the value chain Clinker and cement are the first two links in the value chain that cascades into concrete, construction, and using concrete as a carbon sink. Given that the actual use of cement provides many sustainability benefits and opportunities, cement manufacturers should advocate and bring awareness to actions that can be taken further down the value chain. Concrete Concrete producers today are transitioning from a set menu of default mixtures to designing tailor-made mixtures using the right materials at the right time for the right application. Today’s concrete is far more complex than the original one-part cement, two parts sand, three parts gravel approach of the past, and optimising mixtures offers tremendous opportunities to reduce embodied carbon. There are three major cement specifications with a variety of subcategories within each. Add to that dozens of admixtures and a potentially limitless number of aggregate gradations possible and you have an almost infinite number of concrete mixture combinations that all help reduce overall emissions. Additionally, concrete and concrete products must be delivered, which also requires energy. Transitioning to vehicles powered by electricity or other zero emission vehicles presents an opportunity to halve transportation emissions. Transportation of today’s concretes accounts for about 6% of the total CO2 footprint of concrete. PCA’s roadmap targets the reduction of this to 5% in 2030, 4% in 2040, and 3% in 2050. Construction Concrete made with cement is the foundation of sustainable and resilient construction and it is important to highlight the existing sustainability benefits as well as areas for optimisation. What is commonly referred to as ‘construction’ actually
World Cement Technology 2021
involves four separate phases: design, construction, use, and end-of-life. The carbon intensity of construction can be reduced through optimisation within each of these phases. Buildings constructed with concrete have thermal mass that can avoid large swings in energy consumption related to heating and cooling. Pavements constructed with concrete are more reflective than asphalt and can keep communities cooler by avoiding the urban island heat effect. Lastly, constructions made with concrete gain improved resistance to natural disasters and major damage due to their sustainable and resilient properties. Carbonation Finally, concrete absorbs CO2 over its entire life and captures it permanently in a process called carbonation. Carbonation of concrete occurs when carbon dioxide from the atmosphere penetrates concrete and reacts with the products of cement hydration. This is why PCA’s roadmap uses the term ‘concrete as a carbon sink’. This naturally occurring process can be accelerated. CO2 can also be injected into fresh concrete or introduced under pressure in chambers containing concrete products. Again, in both cases, the CO2 in the concrete is permanently sequestered.
SEEING IS
BELIEVING
When talking about the industry, it is important to promote the many sustainability benefits of community experiences thanks to concrete.
Pathways to carbon neutrality While these steps are only the beginning, achieving carbon neutrality across the cement industry will be a key step in moving society forward on the path to sustainability. Cement manufacturers can show the nation and other industries that there are innovative ways to lead on climate change, while continuing to deliver resilient and sustainable materials that are crucial to building durable structures in the future.
About the author Rick Bohan is the Vice President of Sustainability for the Portland Cement Association. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the cement industry in the areas of research and technology. Rick was an editor for PCA’s Innovations in Portland Cement Manufacturing as well as a chapter contributor for this and many other PCA publications. Prior to PCA, he held positions in consulting engineering with an emphasis on materials engineering. Rick is a licensed professional engineer and a fellow of the American Concrete Institute.
Take a look at our ABC Certificate. It shows our circulation has been independently verified to industry agreed standards. So our advertisers know they’re getting what they paid for.
ABC. See it. Believe it. Trust it.
www.abc.org.uk
A green regime Karin Perissinotto, CalPortland, explains how the company is actively lowering its carbon footprint, while improving manufacturing processes and boosting efficiency.
F
or decades, CalPortland, along with other cement manufacturers, has taken numerous steps and implemented technology to reduce energy consumption to create cement. Given the environmental impact, CalPortand’s engineering teams have pursued effective technologies and solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of cement production. In recent years, numerous opportunities have been identified from renewable energy, optimising energy efficiency, replacing fossil fuels with alternative fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, equipment and process improvements, recycling and reclamation initiatives, researching carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions capture, utilisation, and storage. Cement is responsible for 5 – 8% of global CO2 emissions. More than half of the CO2 emissions in the production of cement come from the reaction that breaks up the calcium carbonate, with the remainder coming from the fossil fuels required to heat the kilns and transport the materials. Cement plants present a significant opportunity to improve efficiencies and reduce their carbon footprint. CalPortland has taken considerable measures at its cement plants, in addition to its other facilities, to reduce emissions and produce a more sustainable building product.
11
Energy management In 2003 CalPortland implemented a company-wide energy management programme to identify opportunities to improve the efficiency of its operations. One of the key elements to the energy management programme is involvement at all levels and across all departments with strong executive support. Energy efficiency, like safety, is core to the company culture. The company follows the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Industrial Partnership programme guidelines, including initiatives such as an Energy Cup competition between cement plants, ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry, and pursuing ENERGY STAR plant certifications annually. The company has been an ENERGY STAR partner since 1996 and has realised over 35 million MMBTU in energy savings and cost savings of over US$150 million since 2002.
electrical generation facility on its property to provide electricity for the operation of its Mojave cement plant. The wind farm is comprised of eight 3 MW turbines. Last year, the plant utilised over 30 million kWh hours of zero emissions wind energy generated by these on-site wind turbines; this is the equivalent of avoiding over 21 000 metric t of CO2. The company is currently working on an interconnection agreement with the utility to allow exports.
Process improvements
At the cement plant level, CalPortland has completed many upgrades, improvement processes and efficiencies at each of the cement plants. The Rillito cement plant in Arizona replaced and totally redesigned the upper stage cyclones and rainbow duct on the preheater tower. Instead of just replacing the equipment with the same existing design, a full evaluation took place Renewable energy to improve efficiencies within the replacement. CalPortland was one of the first industrial The new vessels were optimised for improved companies to construct a 24 MW wind turbine heat exchange and lower differential pressure using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) developed by Turnell Corp. The engineering team contracted with ZAP Engineering & Construction Services, Inc. to develop a detailed structural model of the tower and complete the analysis to determine the structural limitations for the new cyclones. Once the design of the new cyclones and ducts was decided, RECON Engineering & Construction completed the fabrication, demolition and safe installation for the project. The changes have resulted in energy efficiencies that will last throughout the operational life of the cyclones. The plant also installed new high efficiency belting for a 3.5 mile quarry belt conveyor (a total The new CNG/RNG filling hub consists of 24 slow fill of 7 miles of belting). stations and one fast fill station. At the Mojave plant in Southern California, the company worked with FLSmidth to upgrade the vertical OK finish mill with a new high efficiency separator and installed a high-level expert control system to optimise the efficiency of the mill. The plant is currently in the early construction phases of adding a new raw mill which will improve the reliability and uptime of the raw mill process, thus increasing kiln efficiency and uptime. At each of the cement plants, compressed air improvements have been implemented as a result of compressed air audits. These audits include routinely implementing compressed air best practices, such as updating ageing reciprocating air ADVANCEMENT is a new line of Portland limestone compressors with rotary screw air cements with 10% less GHGs emitted than ordinary compressors where appropriate, better Portland cement. 12
World Cement Technology 2021
JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON OF CLOUD SERVICES Digitalization and Automation are the key factors for your Business Optimization.
2021
NOW AVAILABLE
www.axians-ias.com
sequencing air compressors, delivering compressed air at a lower pressure plantwide where feasible, and installing small air compressors or receiver tanks to better handle specific loads. One of the Southern California plants made some very significant improvements with their compressed air and lowered overall plant kWh/t by 15%.
wood chips, pecan shells, on-specification used oil, and shredded rubber tyres as alternate fuels sources for cement kilns.
Mobile fleet emissions reductions
In November 2020, the company launched its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered bulk hauler truck fleet at the Oro Grande cement plant in Southern California, reducing Alternative fuels greenhouse gas (GHG) and smog-causing Materials that might otherwise end up emissions. The company commissioned 24 new in landfills, illegal dumps, or the nation’s ‘Near-Zero Emission’ bulk hauler trucks that waterways can offer value as alternative fuels are fuelled with Redeem TM by Clean Energy® at for cement kilns. Embarking on an alternative a new private fuelling hub also located at the fuels project is a great step towards reducing cement plant. Developed by OZINGA® Energy, environmental impacts and fuel costs. Turning the fuelling hub consists of 24 slow fill stations waste into energy helps make cement plants and one fast-fill station. Utilising Redeem more sustainable and profitable – but it can also instead of diesel or gasoline can reduce carbon introduce new risks to the production process. emissions by at least 70% and up to 300%, The use of biomass and alternative fuels in depending upon the sources. cement kilns offers a higher environmental The company estimates savings of performance than landfill and incineration. nearly 10 000 MT of greenhouse gas (GHG) Such fuels may be in the form of municipal and annually by converting 24 diesel cement bulk industrial waste products. CalPortland has used hauler trucks to a CNG/RNG powered fleet at the cement plant. The company saved over US$1 million in one year over diesel fuel. The fleet of bulk haulers expands the existing ‘clean fleet’ in southern California. In 2017, Catalina Pacific, a CalPortland company, commissioned 118 new ‘Near-Zero Emission’ CNG/RNG powered concrete mixer trucks, replacing diesel fuelled trucks at its Los Angeles area ready mix plants. In 2019, the company partnered with the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District (MDAQMD) in Southern California and was awarded two grants through the Mobile Source Emission Reductions Programme. The company replaced a 1987 trackmobile with a state-of-the-art 2019 Rail King RK330. The on-boarding of this technology effectively reduces equipment emissions by an average of 97% compared to the old equipment. The company also replaced a 1999 TEREX bore/drill rig with a 2019 Caterpillar MD2650 drill. The new equipment is expected to provide a collective 76% average reduction in nitrogen (NOx), reactive organic gases (ROG) and particulate matter (PM), further reducing air pollution. The company was awarded over US$500 000 in grants to assist with replacing equipment with more ADVANCEMENT is a new line of portland limestone cements modern, efficient, low emission with 10% less GHGs emitted compared to ordinary Portland technology to improve air quality. cement. 14
World Cement Technology 2021
ADVANCED PROCESS CONTROL INNOVATIVE MEASUREMENTS
KILN SHELL COOLING ON THE SPOT
WITH KILNCOOLER
INFRARED CONTROLLED WATER COOLING OF KILN SHELL – – – –
expansion of kiln‘s operation time reduced mechanical tension fast, but carefully cooling down energy savings
THAT‘S WHAT WE CALL THE KIMA PROCESS.
WWW.KIMA-PROCESS.DE
The monetary grants were available to private companies and public agencies to clean up their heavy-duty engines beyond what was required by law through retrofitting, repowering or replacing their engines with newer and cleaner ones.
Carbon capture Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) related technologies and innovations will not only be groundbreaking for the industry but also essential. In 2008, CalPortland performed a demonstration of Amine carbon capture technology. The company is currently working on engineering feasibility study for carbon capture utilisation and storage at its Southern California plants, exploring various carbon reduction technologies including solar concentration calcination, waste heat recovery and others.
Carbonation CalPortland is currently undertaking multiple research studies to understand the long-term effects of concrete carbonation and its effect on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). As calcium hydroxide from concrete carbonates with atmospheric CO2, it reduces the amount of atmospheric GHGs. The actual amount of carbon uptake will depend on a range of parameters including the resistance class, exposure conditions, thickness of the concrete element, recycling scenario and secondary use. Another significant portion of concrete carbon uptake occurs when reinforced concrete structures are demolished, as the increased surface area and exposure to air accelerates the process. The amount of carbon uptake is even greater when stockpiles of crushed concrete are left exposed to the air before reuse. CO2 uptake research is important to understand the process of carbonation and its effect on concrete, and is useful for a total life cycle assessment (LCA) of concrete which is a key component to quantifying data in Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). CalPortland’s recently closed Colton cement plant in California provided the opportunity to sample and test concrete of varying ages from 10 – 115 years. It also allows for the examination of carbon uptake of demolished concrete at its ‘end of life’ phase and the effect of carbonation on recycled aggregate.
SCMs and blended cements Reducing emissions from the calcination process is an opportunity to substitute a
16
material other than limestone. Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as flyash, pozzolans and slag offer sustainability and performance advantages. Their use as a partial replacement for Portland cement not only results in more durable, high-performance concrete but also lowers energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. For every ton of clinker replaced by SCMs, CO2 emissions are reduced by approximately 0.8 t. In 2020, CalPortland launched its ADVANCEMENT TM line of blended Portland-limestone cements (PLC). With up to 15% limestone by mass, ADVANCEMENT generates approximately 10% less CO2 to reduce the embodied energy per ton of cement and significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. ADVANCEMENT can be combined with other concrete carbon reduction technologies to further enhance performance and increasingly reduce the embodied carbon of concrete, the world’s most widely used building product.
Concrete recycling Concrete reclaimers accept returned concrete and are utilised to recycle returned waste concrete. At the company’s Southern California ready-mix plant, a high efficiency concrete reclaim system was installed to recycle returned concrete into its original constituents that can be re-utilised as raw materials for new concrete loads, yielding attractive financial savings, avoiding mining and transportation of new raw materials, reducing disposal costs and keeping materials out of the landfill. Many of the ready-mix concrete plants throughout CalPortland utilise this type of concrete reclaiming system.
Conclusion From a technical perspective, there are a number of solutions for reducing the environmental footprint associated with cement production, all of which will need to be deployed at scale to tackle the decarbonisation challenge. CalPortland continues to explore new and innovative solutions in reducing its carbon footprint, while improving manufacturing processes and efficiencies.
About the author Karin Perissinotto is the Sustainability Manager for CalPortland, bringing unique insights and experience from her more than 20 years in the field of sustainability and construction. She is a credentialed LEED GA, WELL AP, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California Santa Barbara.
World Cement Technology 2021
ready for
reduction
Mark Mutter, JamCem, provides an overview of some of the new technologies on offer to help cement producers reduce their environmental impact.
W
hilst technological advances in the cement industry have been relatively slow over the past 100 years, a relative explosion of ideas and developments has recently taken place, focusing on reducing the impact of the global cement industry on emissions of CO2 and climate change. CO2 emissions from the cement industry are nothing new and in fact the industry as a whole has made good progress in reducing emissions per ton of clinker – in real terms – since the 1990s. Much of this development has come from actions such as closing older, smaller plants and in particular
wet kilns, converting preheater kilns to precalciners with efficiency improvements, and developments in clinker cooler technology. In net terms, the use of biomass fuels has also reduced the net emissions from the industry in more recent years. However, the size of the global industry has grown substantially over the past 20 years and the gains mentioned above have been by far outweighed by this growth; whilst many European countries have reached market maturity in this time, the cement industries in many other countries have grown rapidly, including places such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
17
This has led to a far higher overall emission of CO2 from the industry, despite the latest and lowest emitting process type kilns being installed in these growing countries. With more recent political developments including the Paris Agreement and the ‘2˚C Scenario’ (2DS), the industry as a whole, and larger multi-national cement manufacturers in particular, are now committing to reducing the amount of CO2 emitted. The 2DS scenario focuses on how much CO2 emissions have to drop to ensure that global average temperatures do not increase more than 2˚C above pre-industrial levels. For the cement industry, a pathway has been calculated to show how much the CO2 per t of cement must decrease by 2030, 2040 and 2050. The situation is complicated by the fact that cement production capacity is forecast to continue to grow, so whilst the 2DS scenario calls for a reduction of 30% less CO2 emissions from the cement industry by 2050, the CO2 per t of cement needs to drop by around 40% when the increased production capacity is considered. The challenges of achieving this – both technically and financially – are significant. Whilst emissions trading schemes and carbon taxes are in place in some countries, which provide some financial ‘carrot and stick’ for change, they only cover a fraction of the global cement production capacity. JAMCEM Consulting has identified over 20 different potential technologies – some of which are still at pilot scale and some of which have been implemented and commercialised – for the reduction of CO2; some of these technologies are described in this article. Widely known technologies, such as biomass alternative fuels and use of cementitious materials are not covered here as they are not considered to be new technologies.
source of the CO2 and the final characteristics of any alternative product. Clearly, CO2 emissions come from the production of clinker but the final product purchased by the customer is cement. So, the carbon content of cement is expressed as kg CO2 cement and not clinker. This can give a distorted view of the overall emissions created in producing the cement and its final use. For example, a cement may be produced from a clinker that has high CO2 emissions (high fuel consumption kiln with zero biomass) and then ground into a cement with only 70% clinker content to reduce the CO2/t of cement. The final performance of this first cement, in terms of final strength in concrete, would therefore be less than that of a low CO2 clinker that has around 90% clinker content, and thus more of the first cement would be required in the mix to match the strength developed by the second cement. Therefore, care needs to be taken in considering not only the CO2/t of cement but also the strength of the concrete that it will produce. The same point has to be considered with the new cements that are being developed and marketed currently. Many cements quote the reductions in CO2/t compared to conventional cements, but most do not quote the quantity required in concrete to achieve the same performance, or their equivalence to a conventional cement.
Financial aspects
As previously mentioned, the development and adaptation of any solution will not be without cost. The development of some of these solutions is extremely expensive and is being supported by various funding mechanisms such as state aid, Europe-wide initiatives like the EU Innovation Fund, Clinker versus cement or various funds from the Department of Energy in When considering this subject, it is important to the USA. consider how the measurement is expressed, the Certain countries also have financial incentives for the reduction of # ! CO2 emissions. For ! example, under the " latest EU Emissions ! Trading scheme, ! cement producers are given an allowance of ! CO2 credits, above which they have to ! pay for the additional CO2 emitted, with the ! allowance given to plants reducing their emissions $ ! by 2.2% per year up to 2030 (after which the scheme will undoubtedly be replaced with a more stringent Figure 1. Required CO2 reductions to meet the 2˚C scenario. system to drive 18
World Cement Technology 2021
The Yard and Road Workshop Part I: Automation
& Webinar 26th October 2021 9am (New York), 2pm (London), 3pm (Berlin/Rome), 5pm (Dubai)
axians-ias.com/meet_us/
www.axians-ias.de
CO2 emissions even lower). Therefore, the reduction of CO2 emissions will result in a reduction in the quantity of CO2 purchases required – with the current CO2 price per ton running above €50. Under previous versions of the trading scheme, which is now in its fourth incarnation, it was possible to sell any surplus of credits. However, mechanisms have been put in place to eliminate excessive
surpluses of credits, which mainly occurred when cement producers were given credits for 100% of their capacity but then operated at a much lower output. Under the current scheme, the benchmark performance level of emissions is 693 kg CO2/t of clinker, so only the very best producers with very high levels of biomass fuels will be in surplus. Early adapters of any technology that has a significant impact on CO2 emissions could benefit from sales of their credits, Table 1. Examples of types of research and development into CO2 but as more producers adapt reduction solutions. technologies, there will be less Category Technology Description and less demand for credits, and therefore no real market for the LEILAC Novel technologies to produce a high Carbon separation Oxyfuel purity stream of CO separate from kiln sales. The latest version of the gases for easier capture/storage/use. scheme also has protections in place to prevent the CO2 price Conventional use of GGBFS, fly ash, pozzolans etc. Some concern over from dropping to maintain the Minimising clinker content long term availability of fly ash with the drive for CO2 reduction. reduction in coal fired power generation. In the USA, the approach to Calcined clays have cementitious taxes is different, with some properties and are produced with a lower states either implementing or Artificial pozzolans fuel consumption compared to clinker; considering direct taxes either these still need to be blended with cement to a produce final product. per ton of cement or ton of CO2. Conventional plant The USA does, however, have reducing CO These technologies rely on a low level of Finely ground construction waste cementitious activity in the base material one potential advantage over being enhanced by fine grinding. other countries in that it already has a CO2 transport network Technology which appears to produce Precipitated calcium carbonate an ultrafine calcium carbonate which can in place across some states have a value in void filling in concrete. and therefore any adaptation of These improve the performance of carbon capture could in theory Strength enhancers cements and therefore reduce the link up to this network at a lower quantity of cement required in concrete. cost than countries that will have All similar technologies using GGBFS, to develop the infrastructure fly ash/calcined clay and an alkaline themselves. In addition, there is activator. This relies on availability of low Geopolymer cements a tax credit of US$35/t of CO2 if cost GGBFS and has the reputation of being fast setting with an overall higher it is used or US$50/t if stored. cost structure than normal cements. Bearing in mind that the EU Cements with a low lime base which will and the USA – the countries Low lime cements not directly set in water. with the biggest incentives in Based on a well-known chemistry of an one form or another – make up Novel cements alternative cement type, but requires around 8% of global capacity, Belite Ye’elimite-Ferrite cements alumina slag which has low availability there is still a long way to go in and high cost. terms of providing the incentives Based on magnesia bonded cement – still Magnesia based cements on a country-by-country basis at pilot scale. to drive reductions in CO2 This alternative cement has been known emissions. Calcium sulfoaluminate cements for many years. This has a lower CO 2
2
2
(CSA)
With conventional cements
footprint but high cost bauxite and gypsum required as raw materials. Using captured CO2 to carbonate precast and readymix. Claimed higher strengths – some commercial trials completed but challenge of getting CO2 to sites is a longer-term challenge. Using sequestered CO2 to carbonate
Use of CO2 in concrete With low lime cements
Using other wastes finely ground e.g. steel slag
20
precast and readymix but with low lime cements. Backing of one multinational and now at industrial stage. Finely ground waste materials (steel slags) combined with CO2 curing. Currently used only for precast.
Development routes It appears that there are two main routes in the development of solutions – those that are being developed in partnership with the existing cement companies, and those which are new market entrants looking to make an environmental and commercial success of their products or technologies. Included within these development routes are World Cement Technology 2021
technologies that involve carbon dioxide capture and storage, processes that use carbon dioxide for the curing of concrete or capture in building materials, and new cement types either used on their own or within a mix with conventional cement, as well as solutions relating to downstream applications in concrete products. Table 1 shows an example of some of the different technologies that are currently under development; this list is not exhaustive, as there appear to be many potential solutions being announced on a frequent basis.
Carbon capture Technologies for the capture of carbon are not new but are complex, due to the fact that the gas stream that needs to be treated at the stack is a mixture of different gases – mainly nitrogen, which enters the process in air for the combustion of fuel – along with CO2, steam and oxygen. It is therefore necessary to separate out these different gas streams prior to being able to either use the CO2 or compress and transport the CO2 to storage. Care also has to be taken with volatile minor elements such as heavy metals. The technology for separating the CO2 from the stack gases is that of amine absorption. There are a number of trials on-going with this technology
including several in the USA and one large scale project in Norway. It is clearly essential to be able to store the CO2 once captured. In Europe, the most advanced project with amine absorption is that being developed at Brevik in Norway, which is planned to be in operation in 2024. The project is designed to capture 400 000 tpy of CO2 (50% of the emissions from the plant). It is understood that the total project cost of the capture element of is €300 million, of which 85% is being paid for by the Norwegian government and the remainder (€45 million) will be paid for by HeidelbergCement. For the storage, reports indicate that the Longship Project, being developed by the Norwegian Government, is expected to cost US$1.7 billion, with annual operating costs of around US$90 million per annum. Much of the investment will again be contributed by the government of Norway. It appears that this facility is intended to be used by other European countries but will require extensive networks to connect up to the system. Other routes to capture CO2 are based on attempting to produce a purer CO2 stream from the cement process, thereby reducing the requirement to separate the CO2 from the rest of the stack gas stream. There are two main techniques that are currently in development focusing on this
methodology – the LEILAC project and Oxyfuel, as described below. The principle of the LEILAC process involves keeping the CO2 from the decarbonation of the raw meal separate from the kiln gases, so that an almost pure stream of CO2 is obtained for capture and subsequent use or storage. In order to achieve this, the LEILAC principle is to replace the existing calciner with a new reactor, where the meal passes through the centre tube of the reactor, which is externally heated by hot gases. Phase 1 of the project was completed at Lixhe in Belgium, with a single reactor tube to prove the concept, and Phase 2 is now in the planning stage for installation at the Hannover plant of HeidelbergCement. This larger installation aims to take around 25% of the total raw meal feed to save 100 000 tpy of CO2. It should be noted that at this stage, the project will only focus on testing the technology to separate the CO2 from the raw mix and not the capture/storage/use. Completion of this second phase of the project is planned for 2025, after which a final pilot plant will be required to take the full capacity of the raw meal for the plant. With Oxyfuel, the focus is to avoid introducing air into the process – which carries with it a large volume of nitrogen – by burning fuels in a pure oxygen stream. This should increase the proportion of CO2 in the stack gas from around 20% to 70%, thereby making separation easier. Both LEILAC and Oxyfuel will require significant changes to the existing plant equipment and still have significant technical challenges to overcome. Other pyro-processing initiatives such as hydrogen use in kilns to permit an increase in alternative fuels use and electrification of pyro-processing are still some way off.
Cement alternatives As well as the efforts to capture emissions from the existing process, there are also a wide range of different cementitious products that are being developed, with some already in the commercialisation phase. Many of these products still use some fuel, but since they operate at a lower temperature than conventional clinker manufacture, the CO2 emissions from the fuel element are reduced. This article has commented on two of these alternative cements that are being developed – geopolymers and calcined clay. Geopolymers are not new materials but are only now starting to show more significant signs of potential commercialisation due to the increased efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from cementitious materials. Typical examples are Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC) by Wagners and E-Crete by Zeobond in Australia and similar geopolymer cements (Regen, Cemfree etc.). The problems with these types of cement are that the source materials (ground granulated blast furnace slag – GGBFS, 22
fly ash and calcined clays) are in short supply and already have embodied CO2. Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies’ solution is probably the most commercially developed. Hoffmann built its first semi-industrial plant in 2015 in France and the company is now building a 250 000 tpy plant on the same site. Hoffmann’s technology is based on GGBFS, flash calcined clays, gypsum and alkaline activators (Na(OH)2 and NaSiO3), and they are the most advanced of the geopolymer cement producers. Rising CO2 prices will assist this technology, but lack of raw materials could hinder progress. It should be remembered that much of the GGBFS and fly ash that could go into the production of these geopolymers is already being used by cement producers as a means of reducing the clinker content in cement (or being used directly as cement substitutes at the readymix production stage). Therefore, taking these materials and further processing them may not actually lead to an overall reduction in CO2, especially if the strength generated by the geopolymer is less than what would be generated when mixed with an OPC cement. As with the technology behind geopolymers, the ability to activate cementitious properties in certain clays (kaolin, illite, smectite) by heating to a temperature of 600 – 800˚C has been known for more than a century, but has been rarely applied other than by a single producer in the USA and more generally in Brazil. However, in the past 10 years, with CO2 pressures and a decline in the availability of fly ash and GGBFS, there has been a massive upswing of interest in calcined clays in the cement industry. Several calcined clay plants have been commissioned in the past five years and many more are in planning stages. A good metakaolin can be added into cement at 30% and LC3 and FUTURECEM attempt to take this further with the addition of 15% limestone. Many national standards will have to change to accommodate this type of cement.
CO2 uses in construction
The final group of technologies that are reviewed within this article are those using the CO2 within the construction sector as opposed to it being used within a different industry or being stored. One example is the Solidia process, where the primary stage is the production of a low lime cement, with the second stage being the use of CO2 at high pressure to carbonate, rather than hydrate, the low lime cement in precast concrete products. This part of the technology has been understood since at least the 1970s, but the limitation of use in concrete products only (site curing is very difficult) and some issues with CO2 penetration of thicker concrete sections have deterred development. Solidia started up in 2008 and has now attracted serious investment, notably from Holcim. World Cement Technology 2021
CarbonCure is similar to the Solidia concrete technology. Founded in 2007, the main concentration of the technology is the treatment of conventional concrete with CO2. Essentially this tries to accelerate the re-carbonation of the calcium hydroxide released in the hydration of conventional cement. Claims are more limited than for Solidia, with a 10% gain of 28-day concrete strengths versus conventional curing. Carbicrete also bears similarities to the Solidia concrete technology. Founded in 2016, the main concentration of the technology is the treatment of precast concrete manufactured using GGBFS with CO2. GGBFS is an even lower calcium containing material than the Solidia Cement, with high content of CS (Wollastonite). Performance claims are difficult to find.
Conclusion The aim of this article is to describe some of the challenges around CO2 reduction, how certain countries and regions are dealing with the challenge and some of the developments that are on-going within the industry to reduce CO2 emissions either from cement or in the manufacture of concrete. The issue is complex, therefore not all of the technologies that are being developed have been covered. The industry is taking significant steps and whilst there is a long way to go with many of these technologies, the growth of work in this area is
something that has not previously been seen within the cement industry. Most of the multi-national cement producers have announced their target CO2 emissions levels for 2030 and much of this is expected to come from reduction in clinker content and increases in biomass use in pyro-processing fuel. It is more than likely that a number of these technologies and solutions will have to be used in combination to reach the levels of the 2DS, and for the industry to eventually reach carbon neutrality. Other issues will have to be resolved – for example the production of fly ash and GGBFS is reducing, and these materials are used in both the conventional reduction of clinker content in cement as well as some of the novel cements. Which use is the most beneficial needs to be considered, as the current production of these two materials equates to about 10% of the global production of cement. Therefore, even with full use of these materials as a solution, other methods will be required.
About the author Mark Mutter is Managing Director of JAMCEM Consulting and has 27 years’ experience working in the cement industry. JAMCEM is a leading global cement industry consultancy involved in due diligence, plant optimisation, energy auditing, feasibility studies and most recently, supporting novel technologies for CO2 reduction.
Stay Informed
Keep up to date with us to hear the latest World Cement news
www.worldcement.com
24
SMOOTH MOVES
Kerry Dougan, Command Alkon, outlines the advanced technologies and automation solutions that could enable construction and trucking companies to streamline their operations and increase productivity.
E
veryone knows the old adage ‘time is money.’ Businesses can achieve several financial and operational advantages from implementing automation solutions to streamline operations, such as reducing costs, attracting more customers through faster response and delivery
times, increasing profits, and outsmarting the competition. Simple process improvements – like making sure truck drivers stay inside their cabs – increases the productivity of bulk materials sites.
Automation at work Great Lakes Aggregates, LLC was established in 2003 as a mining and concrete recycling company in Southeastern Michigan. The company supplies limestone and crushed concrete to major infrastructure jobs, as well as some commercial and residential work. Great Lakes Aggregates wanted to step up their service and customer experience game by providing a seamless process flow. The company wanted to enhance its customers’ load time, streamlining its process from check-in to departure and ensuring the safety of the customers that it services.
25
The company implemented Apex scale ticketing combined with automatic License Plate Recognition (LPR) at all of their locations. The scale ticketing system eliminates the common issues of handwritten errors, misplaced tickets, and handwriting recognition challenges.
Great Lakes Aggregates has a footprint of one scale for inbound traffic, two scales for outbound traffic, and one remote location – all utilising Apex automation and controlled from one singular scale house.
The Apex system captures the gross weight and initiates a ‘green light’ for the driver signalling the load ticket is printing to the remote printer kiosk for their retrieval.
The Auto ID module uses Radio Frequency (RF) devices for vehicle identification assignments and is completely compatible with existing Apex ticketing software. 26
It also results in greater time and labour savings while improving data accuracy. Point-of-sale modules interface directly with the quoting, dispatch, transportation management, and back-office modules to ensure timely and accurate information flow. When combining the scale ticketing system with site automation technologies, the process reduces the amount of time that customer vehicles are on the premises for. The LPR cameras further expedite the process for their customers by streamlining the entire process starting with checking in to weighing out with a load ticket. Once on site, the vehicle is identified in the Apex system after passing the check in LPR camera – this is confirmed with the display of a ‘green light’ to direct the driver to proceed towards the material loading zones. A driver can confirm his assignment with the scale operator through radio contact or utilising an auto check-in lane if repeating previously ticketed jobs and product information. Once confirmed, the system will capture the tare weight and communicate the customer ID and target weights to the entire Apex loadout system. The system will update remote displays for the scale operator as well as each customer service loader, allowing the viewing of ticketing information, the required material, and time in yard metrics. The loader operator uses the Command Alkon Wireless Loader programme to view all vehicles onsite to be loaded. The programme provides all the information needed to load the vehicles from a portable tablet mounted inside the cab of the customer service loaders. The Wireless Loader provides accurate load data direct to the Loader Operator based on most recent weights, along with material type to be loaded. This reduces time spent on overloaded trucks as well as increasing total tons per day shipped by ensuring every load reaches its maximum capacity. The Wireless Loader also reduces the likelihood of loading incorrect materials. After being loaded, the customer vehicle proceeds towards the outbound scale where the vehicle’s license plate is read again. The system captures the gross weight and initiates a ‘green light’ for the driver, signalling that the load ticket is printing to the remote printer kiosk for their retrieval. With the support of Command Alkon, Great Lakes Aggregates has been able to improve upon its operations, and the company’s customer service is only one of the many focal points that has benefited from these upgrades. With Apex, about 95% of the company’s customer haul trucks are fully automated, meaning the customer can use the check-in World Cement Technology 2021
express lanes, be loaded with the appropriate materials, and receive a load out ticket without having to speak to any employees. Great Lakes Aggregates’ sites can be unmanned by operating with remote ticketing capabilities. This allows employees to see each and every truck that enters all of the company’s locations with their LPR technology. With the Wireless Loader, the operators see all of the loading information required. This eliminates lost drivers without any means of communication needed to wave down an operator and climb up towards their cab to tell them what material is needed and how much, and it ensures that every driver stays inside their vehicle. In the very rare case there is an issue with a ticket printed at the kiosk, the scale operator can easily fix the ticket and send it right back to the designated printer kiosk without the driver having to turn in the incorrect ticket or walk into the scale house to have it corrected.
yard and can reduce interactions with quarry personnel. When drivers arrive at a quarry, they no longer have to fill out paper tickets. With real-time access to ticket data in the cab, drivers can easily note additions and changes, and they do not have to go back and enter the data into the billing system. Getting rid of duplicate data entry means more time and energy to harness in other areas of the organisation, and less risk of data entry mistakes. MOBILEticket creates an electronic document that is distributable via email without scanning. Customers receive an email of their ticket
Electronic tickets The CONNEX Platform provides real-time visibility across transactions for heavy building materials trading partners and improves operational efficiency, promoting cost savings for all parties. Many bulk material suppliers are implementing cloud-based solutions to move their ticket date to the cloud. With Ticket Portal, Powered by CONNEX, material suppliers can access accurate ticket details, such as statuses, load numbers, vehicle and dispatch data, photos, and more from a desktop or mobile device. A simple connecter passes tickets from Apex to the CONNEX cloud so that customers have real-time access from a browser-based portal or mobile app. With Ticket Portal, trading partners can share common goals via digital workflows that speed up both a buyer and a seller’s operations. This approach enables discrete organisations to work in tight orchestration to meet shared objectives like timeliness, quality, profitability, and service experience all of which improve relationships and increased value. MOBILEticket in conjunction with CONNEX eTicketing provides dramatic improvements in visibility to keep track of orders and statuses. Exchanging electronic tickets on the CONNEX Platform means exchanging a digital representation of materials’ load information throughout the procure-to-pay or order-to-cash lifecycle of a business process or project workflow. MOBILEticket further complements the eTicketing functionality within the CONNEX Platform because drivers can save time in the World Cement Technology 2021
Automatic License Plate Recognition cameras reduce contact between the driver and scale house staff, making it a perfect solution for physical distancing practices and a compliment to eTicketing or remote printer enclosure setups.
With Apex, remote security and ticketing are ensured, as well as a customisable video wall where operations can be controlled from a singular location. 27
immediately in the office alerting them that the material has been delivered so that they are not waiting to capture electronic proof of delivery. MOBILEticket provides seamless integration with other systems, allowing data to be routed from dispatch to the drivers, removing the need for drivers to contact dispatch for questions on their tickets. The reduction in radio traffic increases driver efficiency and allows dispatch to focus on coordinating schedules and getting orders into the system. With the paperless tickets, drivers get their next ticket displayed on their tablet as soon as they submit the existing ticket. The result is an increased speed at which they can invoice their tickets. The tickets are downloaded directly to their financial software and after importing, they are immediately billed to the project owner.
A better way to move materials In the construction trucking industry, 90% of the load and time tracking is managed with
Jordan Stole, Equipment Director, and Art Martinez, Scale House Manager, Purchasing & IT Support at Great Lakes Aggregates, at Great Lakes’ Sylvania Minerals Quarry.
paper tickets. The trucker collects a stack of these paper tickets in triplicate and copies are dispersed to the relevant parties so they can create paper invoices. Conflicting invoices require digging up pieces of filed away paper and hours wasted on the phone to rectify. Sloppy processes with little oversight and accountability quickly become unmanageable. This poses a significant threat to a business in the construction industry where profitability is directly tied to efficiency. With Ruckit, bulk material operations can track owned trucks and third-party haulers digitally and build accurate invoices quickly. The system enables drop pin dispatching, so drivers always have directions and know how to get to the job. The user can stagger trucks on the scheduled start times so there are fewer backups at loading and hourly drivers no longer have to be paid for sitting in line. As a jobsite or plant’s needs change during the job, users can easily communicate changes with drivers to keep the project running smoothly. Editable geofences help the user fine-tune data as the job progresses to get precise turn, loading, and unloading times for each truck and driver. Driver timesheets can be tracked down to the minute and ticket data can be easily compared to time stamps and GPS to verify driver pay. There is no hardware investment to install in trucks; all drivers have to do is download an app. Paper tickets are digitised and attached to the project for invoicing within seconds of being scanned by a driver or being printed at the scale so that invoices can be sent instantly instead of weeks or months later. Ruckit also utilises scanner integration while Optical Character Recognition automatically extracts data entry from piles of paper tickets that are then stored in the cloud to be retrieved from anywhere, at anytime.
About the author
Great Lakes Aggregates, located in Detroit, Michigan, utilises the automation technologies and ticketing solutions provided by Apex. 28
Kerry Dougan serves as the Market Manager for the Bulk Materials Segment at Command Alkon. In his role, Kerry is responsible for the pricing and packaging of new and existing bulk materials offerings, identifying new growth opportunities, prioritising key initiatives and product roadmaps, identifying key CONNEX platform partnership opportunities, and managing the competitive landscape of the bulk materials segment. Kerry earned his Bachelor’s degree in business management at Oakland City University. World Cement Technology 2021
OF MAINTENANCE Fabio Mielli, Rockwell Automation, outlines how reliability-centred maintenance could help cement producers to increase equipment availability and reduce both unplanned downtime and overall maintenance costs.
E
quipment maintenance has a huge impact on a company’s bottom line. The good news is that thoughtful, innovative maintenance practices are more available than ever before. For cement companies where maintenance costs account for as much as 25% of the total manufacturing cost,1 thoughtful maintenance practices can have a huge impact on the bottom line. Running equipment to failure is no longer sustainable in the cement industry.
Mature maintenance practices There is a lot of money on the table when it comes to equipment maintenance – and yet, many companies are still approaching maintenance the same way they did 20 years ago. As a company looks to improve its maintenance practices, it is first necessary to identify the current level of maturity.
29
Maintenance maturity classifies the level of the maturity of a company’s maintenance tools and strategies. The classifications range from the standard run-to-failure (reactive maintenance) up to a full reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) strategy. RCM is a corporate-level maintenance strategy that is implemented to optimise the entire maintenance programme of a company or facility. Most of the literature available implies that RCM sits above the other technologies – and it therefore feels like RCM is a leap away from the
previous technologies. This really is not the case. Rockwell Automation prefers to describe RCM as a technology which unites the other maintenance strategies.
Meet the P-F curve Another way to visualise maintenance strategies and their effect on assets is by looking at a P-F curve chart. This chart is central to a reliability-centred maintenance plan. It demonstrates the relationship between machine breakdown, the cost of the breakdown, and how a specific type of maintenance could help prevent negative events. The P-F curve helps with planning and scheduling of maintenance activities because it makes it clear which maintenance tactic makes the most sense for solving the specific problem (and will give producers the greatest return on investment).
Implementing reliability centred maintenance RCM brings together data capture, integration, visualisation, and analytics to help improve the reliability, maintainability, and availability of physical assets. RCM unites the top three pieces of the maintenance maturity model: f Preventative maintenance. f Condition-based maintenance. f Predictive maintenance.
Maintenance maturity classifies the level of the maturity of a company’s maintenance tools and strategies.
Preventative maintenance Preventative maintenance means scheduling equipment repair or replacement based on actual usage (not just on a calendar date). This means simple tracking of hours of run time, throughput, and other known parameters like climate or material passed through the machine. Preventative maintenance also entails visual, and more manual appraisals of equipment health. The key here is to be sure this data is incorporated with the rest of the data discussed in the subsequent sections.
The P-F curve helps with planning and scheduling of maintenance activities because it makes it clear which maintenance tactic makes the most sense to solve the specific problem (and will provide the greatest return on investment). 30
Condition-based monitoring “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it,” said Peter Drucker, an influential thinker on management. The sensor market is currently booming. The vibration sensor market alone was valued at US$2 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach US$3 billion by 2025. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2020 to 2025. As these sensors become increasingly affordable and intuitive, so too does the practice of condition-based monitoring. The basic goal of condition-based monitoring is to detect faults that World Cement Technology 2021
manifest as anomalies in dynamic inputs, such as vibration and pressure, and static inputs like thrust, eccentricity, and rod drop. A condition-based monitoring system works by relying on pre-defined rules. These rules dictate that when certain conditions have been reached, an action is triggered. Yes, condition-based monitoring will provide much more return than simple reactive maintenance. However, it has its limitations, as it cannot identify early deviations and is cumbersome to set up on complex equipment that requires a large collection of rules. Condition-based monitoring is an important piece of a reliability-centered maintenance approach, but it should not be the only piece. Predictive maintenance Predictive maintenance (PdM) uses machine learning techniques to predict asset health issues before they arise. PdM uses condition-based data from various sources to deliver real-time insights on asset performance. Rockwell Automation is a keen advocate for PdM, because the technology that enables it and the applications it can be applied to are ever evolving. To understand PdM technologies (and machine learning), it is first necessary to understand the difference between labelled data and unlabelled data. Labelled data is data that is subject to a prior understanding of the system operation. In the case of maintenance, a piece of labelled data would be
associated with a known type of equipment failure. This means that it is necessary to understand what a failure state looks like before it occurs. Some technologies come ‘pre-packed’ with labelled failure information to help users access the labelled data without needing to run the equipment to failure themselves. Algorithms can then be developed based on this labelled data to forecast the urgency of maintenance with respect to previous failures. The key though is that data from previous failures is needed to produce these types of models. What if cement companies do not have access to labelled data? This is where technologies like anomaly detection come in. Anomaly detection is very useful, regardless of the accessible data going into a project. It ‘learns’ what normal or good operating conditions look like and uses this information to identify abnormal patterns. When identified failure data is available, anomaly detection can add additional warnings as new failure types or patterns that have not been previously labelled occur and are documented.
Bringing it all together Unfortunately, all of the technologies described above mean little if they are set up in isolation from one another. The key to a solid, reliability-centred maintenance strategy is to bring all maintenance practices together in a central coordination system.
Global publication
A global industry requires a global publication Subscribe online at: www.worldcement.com/subscribe
One of the technologies in charge of this kind of maintenance coordination is the Computerised Maintenance Management System™ (CMMS™). The CMMS concept has been around for over 50 years. Modern CMMS maintenance platforms are integrated with the maintenance tools themselves, and can automate work orders, help users manage the maintenance activities, understand the true costs of maintenance, and identify the top ‘offenders’ that lead to frequently occurring or expensive issues.
The CMMS/maintenance platform.
Maintenance data has a broad reaching impact on company performance Maintenance and asset information data is not only useful for maintenance activities, but it can also help to support plant, production, and business decisions. Plant and enterprise-level metrics focused on overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and downtime accounting can help management pinpoint inefficiencies as well understand the top offenders impacting maintenance costs as well as productivity. OEE is the gold standard for measuring productivity. A standardised (and automated) OEE application provides insights that can optimise operations by quickly identifying the key causes of efficiency losses through the process. Slow production is often an even bigger contributor to losses than breakdowns. However, it is much more difficult to pinpoint and quantify. To do this, the concept of downtime accounting can be used. Automatic capture of downtime and slow production events provides reliable and meaningful information that can be classified (for example, planned/unplanned, process/equipment, causes, etc.), analysed, and reduced. A thoughtful maintenance strategy will not be a one-size-fits-all solution. Simple assets can be easily managed by rule-based condition monitoring, whereas more critical or complex assets may require modelling and predictive maintenance strategies. The magic happens when all this data is brought together into a single system for visualisation and analysis. Equipment availability is then quickly increased, and maintenance spend per ton and unplanned downtime are reduced.
The downtime accounting concept.
Reference 1. ‘Maintenance in the cement industry’ – https:// thecementinstitute.com/ maintenance-in-the-cementindustry/
About the author
A thoughtful maintenance strategy will not be a one-size-fits-all solution. Simple assets can be easily managed by rule-based condition monitoring whereas more critical or complex assets may require modelling and predictive maintenance strategies. The real benefits occur when this data together is brought together into a single system for visualisation and analysis. 32
Fabio Mielli has more than 20 years of experience working with industrial customers. Fabio has published more than 20 articles and papers as author or co-author related to automation, energy and industry trends related to the mining, metals and minerals segments and their challenges and applications. World Cement Technology 2021
SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION Martin Provencher, AVEVA, discusses how the principles of operational excellence could help cement producers achieve their long-term sustainability and digital transformation goals.
S
ustainability has never been more important in the cement industry. Like the rest of the mining and materials sector, cement companies are under increasing pressure from customers, government regulators, and other stakeholders to minimise the utilisation and consumption of natural resources and lessen their impact on the environment. For those who have been in this industry for a while, the conversations about sustainability sound a lot like the conversations about safety a decade ago, especially when it comes to securing and maintaining public trust in an organisation. Customers increasingly want to know that the companies they do business with do not focus solely on the bottom line at the expense of social and environmental factors. Recent analysis from International Data Corporation (IDC) found that 27% of mining and metals companies believe that improving sustainability is an integral part
of improving their brand, compared to 18% across businesses as a whole. As the climate continues to change, the environmental impact of construction projects will face increased scrutiny. In response, companies need to demonstrate that their approaches to work are both data-driven and environmentally friendly. Additionally, IDC found that companies with long-term sustainability and digital transformation agendas outperform their competitors. In the long run, they are more profitable. How do they do it? Operational Excellence. The principles of operational excellence provide a framework in which this transformation can take place. Operational excellence combines safety, energy management, production, and compliance; it provides a framework for knowledge and equips workers with the insights they need to identify long-term trends and mitigate threats before they become crises.
33
Sustainability in the cement industry At the highest level, sustainability refers to the execution of business activities in a way that minimises resource consumption and environmental impact. This approach ensures that ecological balance is maintained, or at least that it is not irreparably damaged. Mining organisations, including cement production companies, are mapping their sustainability initiatives in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations (UN). The UN has identified five SDGs that the industry directly impacts: f Enhancement of good jobs and economic growth. f Affordable and clean energy. f Innovation and infrastructure. f Protection and restoration of life on the land.
Increasing the efficiency of cement production reduces costs and minimises impact on the environment.
Operations data unlocks the insights needed to extend equipment life and reduce consumption.
f Clean water and sanitation. Reducing fossil fuel consumption, improving energy efficiency and water efficiency, and creating safer working environments are all important imperatives of top-tier sustainability strategies. Pursuing these imperatives while increasing revenue at the same time provides a clean and safe boost to the organisation’s shareholders and the economy hosting the operations, which encourages further positive engagement and development. Leading industry organisations are initiating these shifts in corporate strategy to include a much sharper focus on sustainability.
Aligning governance and sustainability Implementing operational excellence to achieve these sustainability goals requires an organisation-wide buy-in. The entire organisation needs to operate on a shared vision, in which the need for sustainability, and the business benefits of sustainability, are clear and paramount. AVEVA approaches this issue with its Environmental, Social, and Governance Vision Statement (ESG) in mind: “We combine the power of information and artificial intelligence with human insight to elevate industries’ performance, driving sustainability and growth.” This vision is achieved by acknowledging its responsibility to positively impact the world and the people in it through its operational footprint, technology handprint, and its inclusive culture. In the mining, metals, and materials sector specifically, AVEVA works with industry partners to improve sustainability in several ways, such as: f Increasing efficiency in the cement production process, which helps reduce energy consumption, leading to better environmental performances and reduced costs. f Leveraging technology to extend the life of equipment, which reduces replacement levels and consumption. f Providing shared platforms around the world to reduce travel and lower CO2 emissions in the process. f Utilising Cloud architecture to help customers reduce infrastructure costs and decrease travel within their organisations.
Sustainability in action: CEMEX
A real-time data infrastructure enables critical software capabilities for resource optimisation. 34
Mexico-based CEMEX, the second-largest building materials company in the world, with more than a decade of expertise in digital transformation, is an exemplary model of operational excellence; its single data strategy has already yielded a wide array of benefits. CEMEX saw the value of operational excellence but needed a central software architecture to collect data and make it available across the enterprise – this is where the PI System comes in. World Cement Technology 2021
When it comes to sustainability, it did not take long for the PI System to show its value. One of CEMEX’s earliest uses of the system was in a 2009 project to create a continuous emissions monitoring system across 83 kilns. With shared access to data, managers at all 70 CEMEX plants around the world could benefit from each other’s process improvements, track key performance indicators, and see the impact of process control on emissions across the enterprise. The project was a resounding success. Sustainability does not always need to be a project’s chief goal in order to achieve a more sustainable outcome. More recently, CEMEX utilised AI to optimise the clinker cooling process in a rotary kiln. Running this process on autopilot decreased variability, increased yield, and reduced energy usage all at the same time. For the first time, operators were able to see how their process was behaving and how the artificial intelligence model was telling them the system was going to behave up to 25 minutes ahead of time. After the system was made less complex, CEMEX felt that its employees were no longer overwhelmed by it, nor discouraged by the prospect of extracting information from it. The company also saw the benefits of getting more immediate results. Like many organisations that use the PI System, CEMEX benefited from having ‘one version of the truth’ across the organisation. Everyone is able to work from the same set of data, rather than maintaining individual databases or spreadsheets.
Technology’s role in supporting sustainability Technology plays a critical role in supporting mining companies in their efforts to hit sustainability targets in support of sustainable corporate strategies. Operational excellence affords organisations greater visibility and control, which, in turn, drives corporate insight and allows for smarter, more responsible decision-making on energy usage, water usage, and management of the operational environment. Among companies whose application of technology is mature enough to provide this insight, this visibility is changing the ways in which materials are extracted and resources are used. Technology can support four critical areas in the execution of sustainable strategies: f Enabling visibility and insight: Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled devices, coupled with cloud and edge-based capabilities, can provide greater visibility and efficiency over operations. This leads to better insights and decision automation. f Resource and process optimisation: Software capabilities, such as asset performance management, energy management, short interval control, and planning and scheduling software, are critical for supporting resource optimisation. f Managed energy usage and sourcing: The ability to monitor and manage energy consumption World Cement Technology 2021
through the use of instrumentation and dashboards, coupled with advanced analytics, enables organisations to reduce their energy consumption through insight and a better overall understanding of energy use. f Sustainable by design: Designing processes so that they are ‘green’ and sustainable involves finding different mining methods, employing different processing methods through collaboration with the most experienced process OEMs, and leveraging digital architectures that help nameplate improvements.
The road ahead Delivering real sustainability outcomes will require cement manufacturers to make changes to strategy, operational-level execution, and meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs), as well as efficient reporting and technology capabilities encompassing IoT, cloud, and edge computing. Making these changes a reality requires the implementation of technologies such as IoT cloud platforms, planning and scheduling optimisation software covering life-of-mine to short interval control, asset management, production optimisation, energy management, data analytics, and other production optimisation tools. While offering guidance and oversight, the operational excellence framework provides the information required to manage sustainability outcomes in the context of production targets. Enabling sustainability management will require leadership support, clear and holistic reporting, enhanced visibility and training, and metrics for accountability. To begin the journey towards operational excellence, mining, minerals, and metals companies – including the cement sector – should develop a comprehensive plan with pinpointed objectives, prioritising both meaningful delivery and a corporate sustainability strategy. This process should also identify the technologies required to meet those targets. Once the organisation understands the steps it must take to meet these targets, it needs to ensure that it has access, either internally or through external providers, to all the capabilities and the talent necessary to develop its sustainability initiatives. The large number of tools used to facilitate these operational optimisation and sustainability initiatives will also result in large data sets. Optimising the management of these tools will require a single, integrated platform capable of digesting, interpreting, and reporting data. The implementation of such a holistic platform is an integral piece of the technology roadmap that charts the way to an organisation’s sustainability goals. The PI System from AVEVA can fulfil this role, and several leading companies in the cement industry are already using it to do just that. 35
9 & 10 NOVEMBER HEADLINE SPONSOR:
SAVE THE DATE!
GOLD SPONSORS:
SILVER SPONSOR:
For free registration, go to:
INNOVATION IN CEMENT PRODUCTION
WCT2021 AT A GLANCE... EXPERT PRESENTATIONS Following on from the success of last year’s event, WCT2021 features a two-day agenda packed with keynotes and technical presentations from industry leaders. You can expect to hear from:
FLSMIDTH
THYSSENKRUPP INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS
HOLCIM
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION
TITAN CEMENT
AXIANS
LUBRILOG
AND MORE...
LIVE Q&A SESSIONS Each day at WCT2021 will also include live Q&A sessions, giving you the opportunity to put your questions directly to the experts.
VIRTUAL EXHIBITION Visit booths, speak with company representatives, and access information on the latest products and services on offer from a range of leading companies in the cement sector.
NETWORKING FEATURES Use live chat and video conferencing features to hold meetings and network with other attendees.
www.worldcement.com/wct2021
38
Transformations
IN TURKEY
CTP Team details the installation of a waste heat recovery system for a cement producer in Turkey.
E
nergy supply is essential for modern civilisation. Demand will increase significantly in the future, not only due to economic growth in developing countries and in the emerging market, but also to sustain the digitalisation of industrial and economical processes (Industry 4.0) that we rely on today. Besides the promotion of the use of renewable sources, more work is needed to fight against climate change and GHG emissions. In the cement sector, the optimisation of energy use has been explored extensively – the new challenge is the production of energy internally, and reusing the waste heat released by the process. As well as providing additional help to reduce secondary GHG emissions, the installation of a WHR system can also bring about economic advantages, with an interesting capital pay back. This opportunity became a reality for Sonmez Cimento, after CTP Team completed the installation of a WHR system, commissioned in November 2020.
Catching opportunities Primary industrial processes need a certain amount of heat to transform raw materials into products. Once the necessary amount of thermal energy produced for such a transformation has been used to sustain the process, the remaining heat, at lower temperature, is normally wasted. In the cement industry, the production process includes a kiln, equipped with a preheater tower and a clinker cooler, capable of using the remaining heat generated in the burning process for the preparation of raw materials needed to sustain production. The exhaust gas streams contain residual heat that is sufficient, in general, to trigger a thermodynamic cycle of a suitable fluid that can be used to generate electricity.
39
The suitable heat sources include the exhaust air from the clinker cooler (AQC) and the kiln gas (PH). Sometimes, an alkali by-pass is present but, in general, these sources are only suited for recovery in limited applications, due to the amount of heat and characteristics of the dust. The factors affecting the amount of heat potentially available for recovery depends, mainly, on the temperature at which gas streams are released from the WHR. In general, for the AQC, the most appropriate temperature is accepted by the dedusting system, while on the PH side, this depends on the moisture of the raw materials. Furthermore, it must be considered that such temperatures also depend on the temperature of the thermal oil returning to the boilers from the power generation system.
The diagram in Figure 1 shows the heat availability from the clinker cooler (blue line AQC) and from the kiln (green area PH). The evaluation lists a temperature of 350˚C and 300˚C respectively for cooler exhaust air and kiln gas. The thermal power has been estimated to cool down the hot streams to 120˚C at the cooler bag filter inlet (AQC boiler outlet) and at 180 ÷ 250˚C at the PH boiler outlet. This refers, respectively, to raw mill off and in operation. The data refers to the kiln size (production). Such a range of temperatures are properly selected to achieve a satisfactory heat exchange efficiency in the boilers. The amount of heat in the kiln gas, available for power production, depends on the need for raw material drying, which defines the temperature of the gas leaving the PH boiler for about 22 hours a day and has a big impact on energy production capabilities. The estimation of the heat request for raw material drying is shown in Table 1. High raw material moisture can significantly reduce the heat availability in the PH gas stream; normally a moisture content of below 4 ÷ 6% has a limited impact on the recoverable heat. The impact of higher water content depends on the kiln size and operating conditions as well as material properties.
The Sonmez project In Autumn 2020, CTP Team commissioned a complete WHR in Sonmez, Turkey (AQC + PH). The average moisture of the raw material at the
Figure 1. Heat availability in a cement plant.
Figure 2. Sonmez plant with double WHR system. Table 1. Estimation of the heat required for raw material drying. Kiln prod. tpd.
3000
4000
5000
5700
6000
7000
8000
9000
10 000
Raw material tpd.
5070
6760
8450
9633
10 140
11 830
13 520
15 210
16 900
Moisture %w/w
Heat required for raw material drying (MWth)
2
2.3
3.1
3.9
4.5
4.7
5.5
6.3
7.0
7.8
4
7.0
9.4
11.7
13.4
14.1
16.4
18.8
21.1
23.5
6
11.7
15.6
19.6
22.3
23.5
27.4
31.3
35.2
39.1
8
16.4
21.9
27.4
31.2
32.9
38.3
43.8
49.3
54.8
10
21.1
28.2
35.2
40.1
42.3
49.3
56.3
63.4
70.4
12
25.8
34.4
43.0
49.1
51.6
60.2
68.9
77.5
86.1
40
World Cement Technology 2021
such equipment, considering the arrival of the exhaust plant was very low – less than 1% w/w. For this gas from the preheater. plant, it was calculated that the installation of a WHR system would be very profitable, and As previously mentioned, the dust deposit can be an the savings of renewable sources were very issue. This aspect is controlled using two strategies: important to the cement plant. The temperature at f Process side: The thermal design of the boiler the kiln ID fan at the plant was almost constant, in ensures that the exchanger’s gas temperature the range of 200˚C during direct and compound does not reach below the dew point and this is mode (raw mill off or raw mill on). Without the valid for the pipe bundles’ external surface. WHR system, temperatures were controlled by spraying water for 24 hours a day in the conditioning tower. The installation of the heat recovery system on the kiln preheater allowed around 150 000 tpy of water to be saved. Figure 1 shows the capability of the Sonmez WHR in comparison to the expected range for the cement industry. The system measures beyond the usual range, because the temperature of the exhaust air from the cooler is higher in comparison to the usual maximum value (400˚C instead of 350˚C). A flow sheet of the double WHR system installed in Sonmez is shown in Figure 2: one boiler is installed on the AQC waste air stream Figure 3 (left). AQC boiler at Sonmez. and a second one is also installed on the PH Figure 4 (right). PH boiler at Sonmez. gas stream.
The core of the WHR system: the boilers The power production unit, SRC or ORC technology is important, however boilers are the key pieces of equipment for a WHR system for the cement industry. In fact, they do the hard work to efficiently ‘extract’ the heat from gas streams in difficult conditions. The main concerns regarding boilers are: f Abrasive and non-sticky dust for the boiler installed on the AQC stream. f Potentially sticky but not abrasive dust for the boiler installed on the PH stream. Clearly then, it is evident that a different approach must be considered for each boiler. For the AQC boiler, the installation of a heat exchanger made of finned tubes was chosen; the finned arrangement helps facilitate the discharge of the material remaining on the top part of the tubes. The size of the boiler is such that a possible fouling is tolerated. The wear effect of the clinker dust on the exchangers is controlled by adopting a suitable gas velocity; the hot gas is admitted to the boiler from the bottom and can release part of the dust load into the boiler’s hopper. The PH boiler is vertical and has horizontal bare pipes for the exchanger, to control the possible sticky behaviour of the dust conveyed by the kiln gas. Even if not the best solution for the dust issue, the boiler’s vertical arrangement, with horizontal bundles, was the best layout for 2021 World Cement Technology
Figure 5. Thermal oil system at Sonmez.
Figure 6. Power generation system in Sonmez. 41
f Mechanical side: The boiler’s mechanical design takes the application of cleaning devices into consideration; in this case, the boiler and the cleaning system are designed as a single synergic system. In Sonmez, the exchangers are specially designed to enhance the action of the cleaning system, made by sonic horns and a mechanical rapping system.
The thermal oil system The heat ‘grabbed’ by the boilers is transferred to the power production equipment (ORC) by the thermal oil, circulating in a closed circuit, as shown in Figure 5. The two boilers are connected in parallel with respect to the oil circuit and the thermal oil is made to circulate by suitable centrifugal pumps. Table 2. Clinker cooler boiler design data. Conditions
MAX Nm3/h
225 608
Inlet gas temperature
˚C
400
Outlet gas temperature
˚C
111
kg/s
48
Inlet oil temperature
˚C
90
Outlet oil temperature
˚C
315
kWth
23 816
m2
28 473
Gas flow
Thermal oil flow
Heat exchanged (oil side) Surface area (total)
The heat is released to the ORC in two main steps: The first, composed of the evaporator and the high temperature module, receives the hot oil from the boilers; the pump then delivers the required energy for the circulation to the oil according to the requested flow. After the pump, the oil is split into two streams – one directly reaches the PH boiler, and the other one releases the remaining heat needed to start the Rankine cycle, into the low temperature module and then reaches the AQC boiler. After the boilers, the two oil streams are mixed before entering the ORC evaporator module. It is therefore possible to send pre-heated oil to the PH boiler, controlling possible condensation gas in the low temperature zone of the exchanger.
The electricity production system The WHR systems used to produce electricity for cement kilns are based on the Rankine Cycle, which is the thermodynamic cycle most commonly used to convert heat. The process consists of a heat source that converts a liquid working fluid to high pressure vapour that is expanded in a turbine connected to a generator producing electricity. In Sonmez, the system used for power generation is based on the ORC technology (Figure 6). The working fluid in liquid phase (1) is pumped (2) to the regenerator (2 – 3) and then to the low and high temperature module, receiving heat from the WHR. The liquid at high temperature (4) enters
Figure 7. Performance test at Sonmez. Key: TT281
PH T oil in
TT184
AQC T oil in
TT117
AQC T gas out
TT282
PH T oil out
TT185
AQC T oil out
TT401
Ambient temp. at air condenser
FT201
Oil flow
FT101
Oil flow
TT402
Ambient temp. at air condenser
TT211
PH Tgas in
TT118
AQC Tgas in
TT302
Thermal oil T at ORC HT
TT217
PH T gas out
TT113
AQC bundle in
NET_POWER
Net power production
42
World Cement Technology 2021
the evaporator where an increase in pressure occurs (e.g. 35 bar) (5). In these conditions, the vapour is admitted to the turbine where it expands and the exhaust (6) reaches the regenerator at about 110˚C. In the regenerator, the residual heat of the exhaust vapour is released to heat up the liquid (2 – 3) and then definitively condensed in the air cooler (7 – 8), and the cycle restarts.
EPC turnkey project in the COVID-19 period Even if the COVID-19 pandemic caused problems regarding the project scheduling, CTP Team had modulated the fabrication and erection to minimise these effects. To speed up the production of the first kW, fabrication and erection activities were concentrated on the AQC side and on 02 September 2020, the production started; this allowed the system to be tuned with only one boiler. In the meantime, work on the PH boiler side continued to complete the system. After around a week of general tuning, the whole system was put in operation. After two months of stable operation and production, the performance test took place.
Project goals The graph in Figure 7 reports the results of 24 hours out of 72 + 72 hours of consecutive performance tests. The resulting WHR efficiencies showed: f Total from gas to power = 21%. f From heat at ORC inlet to net power = 23%. f From heat at ORC inlet to gross power = 25%.
thermodynamic cycle. The lower temperature ensures higher efficiency. Figure 8 reports the expected power production in one year at Sonmez. Considering the average cost of electricity, the annual expected savings resulted in about US$3.9 million for self-production. With the help of the CTP Team and sister company CTN Group, Sonmez has been able to install a complete turn-key WHR system, taking a concrete step towards the path of energy transition from high to low carbon energy, and a step towards carbon neutrality of the cement industry.
About the author Marco Rovetta is a Mechanical Engineer with over 30 years of experience in the cement industry, especially in Emissions Control Systems. He is the Product Innovation Manager at CTP Team, leading the continuous improvement of new products and looking for new technologies with the highest performances and best available techniques. Table 3. Kiln PH boiler design data. Conditions
5700 tpd
6000 tpd
Nm3/h
345 750
365 000
Inlet gas temperature
˚C
305
305
Outlet gas temperature
˚C
210
206
kg/s
68.51
63.51
Inlet oil temperature
˚C
160
160
Outlet oil temperature
˚C
260
267
kWth
14 931
15 348
Gas flow
Thermal oil flow
Heat exchanged (oil side)
At Sonmez, the power production continues without 9015 Surface area (total) m2 interruption, approaching the goal of more than 57 million kW gross produced in one year, with around about 25 000 t of GHG emissions having been avoided, and 20% of the energy required for cement production being self produced. The capability of the WHR system depends on the amount of recoverable heat and the ambient temperature variation. Ambient air is often used in the air coolers to cool down the working fluid Figure 8. Expected power production at Sonmez during the year as a function before re-starting the of ambient air temperature. 2021 World Cement Technology
43
Peter Streinik, UNTHA Shredding Technology, considers the opportunities that the cement industry could explore to ensure continued progress in the handling of waste, the co-processing of materials, and the production of alternative fuels.
44
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS T
he cement industry has become globally renowned for driving change in its handling of ‘waste’, the co-processing of materials, and the production of alternative fuels. So, when it comes to ensuring ongoing progression, where could it turn next? A number of people believe that legislation drives innovation, and in many cases, this is true. Often, the nations with a seemingly more progressive resource agenda are those who are also striving to hit ambitious environmental targets. Fear of non-compliance with the ‘rules’ ultimately instigates change. This helps to explain why some countries have begun to treat ‘waste’ as a key part of their energy infrastructure, in a bid to reduce their reliance on landfill, as well as their carbon impact. There are exceptions of course, particularly when other factors are at play. Sometimes, there is an overriding commercial advantage underpinning more innovative attitudes to waste. Co-processing waste to produce an alternative fuel, for example, strengthens resource security and reduces reliance on other costly energy sources. There are instances whereby fuels such as RDF and SRF can be sold not just to negate disposal fees, but actually generate a revenue stream too. In short, the business case for manufacturing alternative fuels soon stacks up, which naturally heightens the appetite to produce more. However, there are also increasing examples of businesses driving change because they have a genuine commitment to the planet, and/or an authentic desire to use their profile for the greater good. Cement manufacturers are a shining example in this respect. There are many examples of multinational operators fostering local waste infrastructure networks and building treatment facilities in countries that are not yet particularly progressive when it comes to their resource agendas.
45
However, it is the cement firms’ own global missions that are driving change – whether or not legislation dictates that they need to – in order to transform materials many people would consider ‘rubbish’, into valuable energy sources. Such projects create jobs, raise awareness, overhaul attitudes and better protect the planet – all while strengthening the manufacturers’ own carbon reduction strategy. It is for these reasons that cement manufacturers could prove key to spearheading the next wave of change in alternative fuel production. Shredding innovations mean pulper ropes are being considered for their alternative fuel potential.
Driving further change Industry insight published on GlobeNewswire in Q1 2021, highlighted that the global waste-to-energy (WtE) market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% from 2019 to 2027. While time will naturally tell, some people no doubt believe alternative fuel production rates could accelerate even faster than this. The challenges that stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic may play a part. Mass global lockdowns created capacity and supply chain issues in varied worldwide markets – not least the resource sector. Because, while it became trickier to obtain virgin materials in production environments, it also grew tougher to maintain reliable feedstock for alternative fuel production plants. But crises drive innovation too. And a perhaps unexpected by-product of the pandemic is a proactive search – among the more pioneering of operators – for waste streams that are, as yet, not being leveraged to their full potential. Specifically, the transformation of notoriously troublesome materials such as tyres, mattresses and pulper ropes could unlock further opportunities in this market.
Tyre derived fuel The result of a single step pulper rope shredding line.
Geocycle’s UNTHA shredder, in operation in Costa Rica. 46
Tyre derived fuel (TDF) became a hot topic for UNTHA during 2020. TDF is one of the most mature resources in the Energy from Waste (EfW) market, but long-standing processing challenges mean millions of tyres continue to be overlooked for their alternative fuel potential. A staggering 1.5 billion tyres reportedly reach their end-of-life, globally, every year, for instance, and 60% of these are said to be landfilled, stockpiled, illegally dumped or ‘lost’ from the resource chain. However, engineering advancements are now changing what is possible. The tyre shredding process is now far safer, simpler, and more economically robust. With the calorific value of a scrap tyre typically between 6450 – 8000 kCal/kg, only World Cement Technology 2021
0.76 – 0.95 t of tyres are required to substitute 1 t of coal, making this an attractive alternative. There is no such thing as ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to TDF production, not least because cement manufacturers often have their own fuel specifications. However, a common burn-efficient fuel for a kiln is a 50 mm clean cut, contaminant-free TDF chip with minimal cross hairs, and it is now possible to produce this in a single pass. Armed with the right technology, the operator should also be able to extract steel for resale and transform rubber into a homogenous product that can be used for road base, tip cover, landscaping and playground safety surfaces. If a more refined shred is needed, a secondary shredder could take this pre-shredded material down to a more precise <20 mm fraction. All of this is possible without having to undertake any inherently dangerous debeading activity, which has been considered the norm to date.
Mattress processing
30 mj) which can be mixed to produce a refined alternative fuel such as SRF.
Pulper ropes The bulky waste that perhaps represents the biggest untapped potential when it comes to alternative fuel production, is pulper rag ropes – an unavoidable by-product of the paper manufacturing process. This material can be extremely difficult to handle, as the ropes can reach over 12 m in length. They are high in moisture content unless subjected to a mechanical dewatering process, and – like mattresses and tyres – similarly contain many multifaceted materials, such as plastic and metal, ‘locked’ inside. They are often considered nothing but a headache, unless they are subjected to a sophisticated transformation process. However, this is not to say the transformation is impossible, nor is it uneconomical. Engineering innovations mean high volumes of clean FE material can now be extracted for smelting, and the residual material can be
Another traditionally complex waste stream, but one now rich in potential, is mattresses. In the UK, 7.5 million mattresses are said to reach their end-of-life every year, which represents a total cost of £20 million – without considering the fiscal and environmental impact of fly-tipping. These bulky items are difficult to store and handle, and because they are made up of multiple composite materials which are tough to liberate and separate, they have not typically been seen as a ‘go to’, resource-rich alternative fuel opportunity. However, a facility in the South of England has proven that high torque, slow speed shredding technology can process mattresses with relative ease, to ensure the successful segregation of steel for remanufacturing, foam for use as carpet underlay or animal bedding, wood which Tyres should no longer be considered a waste can be shredded to produce landscaping headache, not least because they can be transformed mulch or biomass, and fibres which into TDF. can be used as flock for alternative fuel production. The result is that, on average, 80% of a mattress can be recycled, and 100% can be recovered and diverted from landfill. Here, two UNTHA XR3000C-HT shredders – both complete with energy-efficient 132 kW ECO drive motors for added environmental gain – can process varied types of mattresses weighing 18 – 82 kg, at a mean rate of 25 seconds per mattress. Downstream equipment including in-line magnet separation and air boxes enhance the commodity purity, and the result is 100% of the materials contained within mattresses can a high calorific value clean flock (up to now be recovered. 2021 World Cement Technology
47
utilised in energy generation projects as either an SRF or an even more refined pyrolysis solution. Several years ago, for example, a European paper mill used to send 10 000 t of pure, untreated pulper rope waste (1:3 metal and plastic) for specialist off-site handling. However, with a strong sustainability agenda, the business wanted to close the loop and harness the resource potential of this waste stream, in its own facility – while benefitting financially in the process. Here, an UNTHA XR3000C with a high torque gearbox and two cutting rows, plus auto-reverse function to help manage material flow, tackles this difficult application. The shredded fraction exits the machine via an enclosed horizontal conveyor with internal and external scrapers for easy cleaning, before travelling to an electro-magnetic FE separator. Metal wiring is then extracted for onward sale and recycling, with the resulting material forming the ideal SRF specification for the mill’s own WtE generation technology. Resilient technology is required for pulper rope handling as no two grabs of pulper ropes are ever the same. Input material homogeneity is unlikely with this material stream, however, dewatering the product does simplify the process somewhat, as does pre-cutting the ropes down to a length of < 3 m. The greatest challenge with pulper rope handling, is that many operators simply do not know what is possible. So perhaps this will be the change that the cement industry drives next.
Boosting capacity and efficiencies Sometimes, innovation arises not because a cement manufacturer is handling a different type of waste, but because they are continually reviewing and improving their existing facilities. At the start of summer 2021, for example, global waste management specialist Geocycle – a 100% subsidiary of cement manufacturer Holcim – announced that it had doubled the capacity of its co-processing facility in Costa Rica, following the investment in an UNTHA waste shredder. Having made the 6000 mile journey from UNTHA’s engineering HQ in Austria, the 24 t shredder processes locally sorted municipal solid waste (MSW) – as well as hazardous and non-hazardous industrial solid waste (ISW) – for recycling and energy recovery. In a single step – in other words, with only one machine – the XR now helps to manufacture a 90 mm refuse derived fuel (RDF) product for co-processing in the Holcim Costa Rica cement kiln. Commenting on the collaboration, Geocycle’s General Manager, Wilkie Mora Bolanos said: “We have operated in Costa Rica since 2000, with the purpose of rethinking waste to create a zero-waste future.” 48
Everything about Geocycle’s operation is regenerative, so the company seeks to partner with engineering specialists who can transform waste from a costly, time-consuming business risk, into a valuable resource which strengthens the environmental, social and economic agendas of local communities. Having worked with UNTHA in other countries, the XR3000C was chosen for its flexibility, high-capacity and single step alternative fuel capabilities. Investing in only one shredder saved space and improved production flexibility for Geocycle. The adaptability of the XR also means that the company can handle a wide range of input materials. Geocycle has doubled its capacity since installing the technology and has reduced its RDF production costs. As the contents of inbound waste can never be guaranteed, the XR is supplied with in-built foreign object protection, as standard. This auto-stop process protects the machine from damage and ensures any debris can be quickly and safely removed, for production continuity. “We feel empowered with the XR,” said Bolanos. “We can operate in an ultra-efficient mode to keep our energy consumption to a minimum – up to 75% lower than diesel hydraulic machines in the market. And we have the flexibility to boost throughputs too, which is really important given variable market conditions.”
Where will cement manufacturers go from here? Transforming unusual materials into a valuable resource is nothing new for cement manufacturers – as evidenced by LafargeHolcim’s creation of fuel from footwear production waste in Vietnam, many years ago. In fact, production and post-industrial waste is seemingly a favourite among the industry’s operators, whether processing baby wipes or space blankets. The industry is even seeing the pioneering use of non-hazardous liquids such as shampoo and soap residue – which is being mixed with RDF – to help avoid leachate via landfill disposal. Cement is an industry that continues to hunt for new opportunities, it will be exciting to watch where it takes the alternative fuel production agenda next.
About the author Peter Streinik is Sales Director for global shredder manufacturer UNTHA. Passionate about the transformation of waste into valuable resources, he has authored a number of technical articles and delivered presentations to audiences worldwide. He has been with the company for 16 years. World Cement Technology 2021
GETTING THE BEST Stefan Scheiflinger-Ehrenwerth, Lindner Recyclingtech, details the challenges involved in SRF production and explains how they can be overcome. or many decades, the waste management industry has significantly contributed to the reduction of CO2 emissions and therefore to climate protection. Billions are being invested in designing innovative manufacturing processes. In addition to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and mercury (Hg) levels, a particular focus is on preserving resources. Furthermore, high-quality alternative fuels (RDF, SRF) increasingly replace fossil fuels such as lignite, oil and natural gas to supply the industry with CO2-friendly energy. Energy generated by alternative fuel is used to produce electricity and process steam as well
F
as to fuel calciners and main burners e.g. in cement plants in an eco-friendly way. But not all alternative fuels are the same. Cement kilns, in particular, require high-calorific SRF, which has to meet strict specifications in terms of particle size, energy content, density and moisture content. The increasingly high demand for top-quality alternative fuels calls for highly productive solutions and smart RDF and SRF production facilities that additionally extract as much recyclable material as possible and substantially reduce the energy required during production. Furthermore, the industry has to adapt to increased waste volumes and new, potentially hazardous input materials.
49
The Austrian company ThermoTeam Alternativbrennstoffverwertungs GmbH, a joint venture between Saubermacher and Holcim, is one of the pioneers in the production of alternative fuels, which invested in the future circular economy more than 20 years ago. Lindner Recyclingtech has been on board as a partner from the very beginning and designed the entire line, which was successfully commissioned in 2003. The challenge: unsorted municipal, commercial and industrial waste. The requirement: high-grade, high-energy SRF for the main kiln at the Holcim cement plant in Retznei. The solution: A comprehensive
ThermoTeam plant in Retznei, Austria.
processing facility with special primary and secondary shredders, ferrous and non-ferrous metal separators, and a wind sifter including feeding systems, conveyors and discharge belts. The facility was approved according to the strict criteria of the Austrian Waste Management Act (AWG) to comply with emission and immission limits. In 2013, ThermoTeam received the Environmental Protection Award from the Province of Styria (Austria) for this concept. Since Lindner’s facility was commissioned in 2003, the volume to be processed has doubled. While the input material was 50 000 metric t in 2006, more than 100 000 metric t have been processed annually until 2018. To date, SRF has helped Holcim save 1.5 million metric t of CO2 just at its cement plant in Retznei in the south of Austria. This corresponds to the amount of CO2 that an average car would emit while circumnavigating the earth approximately 280 000 times. ThermoTeam has invested in more machines from Lindner Recyclingtech to cope with a further increase in processing volumes and problematic materials found in waste. These materials include rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and materials that may react during the recycling process to produce corrosive acids. After 16 years and more than 70 000 operating hours, the old Lindner primary shredder was replaced by a Jupiter 3200 equipped with Lindner’s Fire Prevention System (FPS). Four shredders from the Komet High Performance (HP) series, including a corrosion protection package, are used for secondary shredding.
Less energy, greater power and throughput The primary shredder Jupiter 3200 right after its commissioning at ThermoTeam.
When processing industrial, commercial and municipal waste, difficult to shred materials such as textiles, fabrics and interwoven plastics can be fed into the pre-shredding process. High volumes of tough materials in the waste require more power when shredding. The Jupiter 3200 is one of the longest-standing single-shaft primary shredders on the market. The countershaft belt drive provides additional rotational energy. The increased flywheel mass releases additional power reserves when needed, ensuring high throughputs even with difficult-to-shred materials without an increase in energy consumption.
Transverse discharge conveyor increases non-shreddables removal The Komet 2800 HP: One of Lindner’s high-performance secondary shredders with a corrosion protection package. 50
Nowadays, the waste bales delivered to SRF producers are often pre-sorted and include fewer recyclables. Despite all this, World Cement Technology 2021
they may still contain non-shreddables, iron and non-metal scraps as well as recyclable plastics. To achieve the calorific values required for cement production, valuable materials and non-shreddables are also removed from the primary shredded waste in downstream process steps. Essentially, the Jupiter series can also be equipped with a transverse discharge conveyor to allow the output material to lie as thinly as possible on the discharge conveyor belt. This enables magnets, separators and wind sifters to more efficiently sort out the materials that are not desired in SRF production. In addition, valuable raw materials such as waste metals and PO plastics, which are in great demand on the market, can be returned to the recycling process in line with the circular economy principle.
How to meet the new challenges Apart from the input volume increase, the type of non-shreddables has changed. Increasingly, in addition to tough and recyclable materials, flammable materials and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries find their way into the pre-shredding process. If these types of materials occur to an increasing degree, not only can some particles heat up, but the risk of fire also increases. To meet this challenge, ThermoTeam invested not only in the Jupiter 3200 but also in Lindner’s Fire Prevention System (FPS). The Fire Prevention System is fitted to the discharge conveyor and uses an infrared sensor to detect potential hazards. This modern solution cools overheated particles on the discharge conveyor in a fully automatic, targeted and dosed manner, effectively preventing potential fire hazards. The temperature-resistant infrared system cleans itself and monitors the entire cooling section, adapting the cooling process to the hazard so as to not ‘over-wet’ the material. Flammable materials and batteries are still often disposed of in waste. Devices with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have especially increased. These are particularly flammable. If a lithium battery is broken or damaged, temperatures can quickly peak. They soon drop again, however, they never entirely level out. The FPS quickly detects these temperature peaks and possible fire hazards. In general, waste is much more contaminated these days. According to several studies, the lack of correct separation behaviour leads to this increase of problematic materials in waste. Biowaste and organic residues are particularly problematic. Understanding today’s challenges, Lindner Recyclingtech offers special corrosion protection packages. 2021 World Cement Technology
The Komet HP secondary shredder series in use at ThermoTeam is equipped with stainless-steel protection panels to protect exposed areas and components, and the screen cassette is made out of austenitic stainless steel. Smart, energy-saving and efficient SRF production facilities particularly support the cement industry in increasing high-class output in terms of quality and safety, as well as in achieving its ambitious goals for reducing CO2 emissions and optimising the energy balance.
About the author Stefan Scheiflinger-Ehrenwerth graduated with a degree in Innovation Management from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in 2009, and a degree in industrial engineering followed in 2017. He has worked in international product management since 2008. As Senior Product Manager, he has been in charge of product management at Lindner Recyclingtech since 2016.
The output from Lindner’s Komet: High-calorific and high-grade SRF to fuel main burners e.g. in cement plants.
FPS – Fire Prevention System: The advanced infrared technology makes sure that every square centimetre of the material discharge is consistently monitored. This comprehensive sensory control ensures no potential safety hazards escape the system. 51
T
he cement industry has pioneered the co-processing of waste derived fuels, with European manufacturers currently offsetting around 48% of their traditional fossil fuel use. Whilst there is some way to go to achieve the broadly recognised target of carbon neutrality by 2050, the fact that some 50 million t of waste (material that could be used as alternative fuels), is still being landfilled should give the industry confidence that fuel supply and co-processing levels can be increased at pace.
Fluctuations in the SRF market Over the course of 2020, the market remained fairly stable despite marginal reductions in the amount of SRF exported from the UK. Since the start of this year, a slightly more marked downturn has been seen. This is due to a combination of factors, including a slowdown in construction in some countries. The closure of the hospitality and retail sectors
52
has also caused a reduction in the volumes of commercial and industrial waste (a feedstock for SRF production) being produced. In the UK, demand for fuels dipped early in the pandemic when the cement industry was impacted by the closure of the construction industry for a period of time. Since coming back online however, demand for fuels has been high and quickly recovered to pre-lockdown levels. Whilst the dangers of predicting the future have become clear to all, the Bank of England has forecast a significant period of rapid growth for the UK economy post-pandemic. There is reason to remain cautiously optimistic that SRF export tonnages will continue to steadily increase in the second half of this year and into 2022. Increased demand for biomass, which is a key renewable fuel source for the decarbonisation of energy intensive industries, is also expected to drive SRF utilisation.
Juliet Currie, Totus Environmental, reflects on the impact that both the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit have had on the market for hazardous and solid recovered fuels, and discusses some of the opportunities for businesses looking to escalate their use of waste derived fuels.
53
The low margin associated with SRF supply means that export markets are largely driven by logistics costs and availability of capacity, which can dwarf the associated gate fees. However, container route capacities have been especially impacted by the global downturn in trade as a result of the pandemic and costs have risen sharply.
Case study: achieving zero waste to landfill Ellgia Ltd, an award-winning waste and recycling company is on a mission to provide zero waste to landfill solutions for its commercial and municipal customers. It is also dedicated to moving material up the waste hierarchy through the extraction of valuable recyclable resources and by processing residual waste into solid recovered fuels for co-processing in the cement sector. Ellgia has partnered with Totus Environmental for a number of years to support the development of waste derived fuels and harness Totus’ experience to identify a bespoke and sustainable export solution due
to insufficient capacity in the UK. What was delivered met with both Ellgia’s recycling ethos and the cement producers’ requirements to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and CO2 emissions. With recent changes to the export process (post Brexit), Ellgia was able to rely on the expertise of Totus’ compliance and logistics specialists to take care of the relevant paperwork and new customs procedures, leaving the company with time to focus-on preparing and manufacturing a high-quality fuel, having recently invested heavily in a new SRF production line.
Opportunities for hazardous fuels
More and more cement plants across Europe are realising the benefits of utilising hazardous fuels, with higher gate fees, to increase their alternative fuel substitution rate. The cost of managing hazardous waste is far higher than SRF (often by up to 10 times), meaning that transport costs are proportionally much smaller. These materials are therefore less constrained by geography and can be easier to deliver into new markets. The flip side of this is that their transport and use does require more technical expertise, so often working with a partner such as Totus makes sense to ensure a safe and compliant solution. Overall, based on Totus Environmental’s data, the company has estimated that the total tonnage of hazardous waste supplied as fuel in 2020 dropped by around 20%. Interestingly, the majority of this reduction was in the UK market where solvents are more commonly supplied. This could be as a result of material shortage due to industrial sectors, such as automotive, being in lockdown, and not necessarily associated with a fall in demand. The export market in comparison, which is mainly based around solid fuels due to their high UK gate fee, actually grew slightly in Part of BIP Chemical Holdings, BIP Environmental, is 2020. based in Middlewich, Cheshire. Continued steady growth in demand for solvents and sludges from paints or oils is expected, as well as customers who want a supply of both biomass and solvents, which they can blend to the required specification. New customs clearance requirements as a result of Brexit, have presented some real challenges for hazardous waste exporters, although many have found working with an experienced partner such as Totus that has enabled them to maintain critical international offtake.
Case study: developing a ‘win-win’ solution
Ellgia Recycling provides waste management, recycling solutions and skip hire to businesses in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. 54
BIP specialises in recovering solvents for reuse back into the market, reducing the UK’s reliance on crude sourced material. As a result of BIP’s distillation processes, the company inevitably ends up with high CV sludges which require safe and sustainable disposal. Finding a disposal World Cement Technology 2021
solution that could further reduce the planet’s reliance on fossil fuels was high on the company’s agenda. There is currently insufficient capacity in the UK for all the high CV wastes produced by UK industry. Totus’ knowledge of cement kilns and kiln fuel preparation facilities in Europe gave BIP the opportunity to achieve its goal. Operating under the BIP Environmental arm, all sludges are now sent for processing into fuels used to replace fossil fuels in the production of cement, making this very much a ‘win win’ situation. Naturally, there have been challenges for BIP along the way. The TFS system is relatively inflexible in terms of the type of materials that can be exported, not necessarily mirroring the acceptance capabilities of the receiving outlet. Brexit has also caused some delays on certain routes along with changes in taxation and logistics availability. Totus has, however, always been able to provide detailed information regarding the progress of individual applications and insight into the political and economic landscape being navigated, which is particularly useful when planning the scheduling of certain recovery campaigns.
Faster moving markets One thing that has been observed in both SRF and hazardous fuels is that the days of long-term contracts look to be behind us. The modern-day alternative fuels market is now far more akin to that of commodities, with trade based on almost immediate demands for a certain material or specification. As a facilitator in the market, Totus is able to offer a wide range of alternative fuels from a broad base of waste management companies and waste producers, and as such, can be highly responsive to the changing demands of customers.
A partnership approach Another noticeable change in the alternative fuels market is the shift away from a ‘one size fits all approach’. It is, without doubt, becoming increasingly important for suppliers of alternative fuels to have an in-depth knowledge of their customers’ operations, a problem-solving mindset and the ability to deliver fuels to a precise – and sometimes changeable – specification. The ability to provide a range and blend of fuel types is what enables kilns to operate efficiently and remain within stringent emission limits.
had previously been able to move freely across EU borders required customs clearance at both the point of exit and entry. Additional paperwork is now also required for material transiting through another country en route to its final destination. Increased levels of administration have resulted in a material increase in costs for every load shipped, particularly in relation to accompanied loads. To illustrate the scale of the challenge, it is estimated that UK exporters will have to complete some 260 million more customs forms a year, many of which will require the help of intermediaries.
Benefits of working with a partner Working with an alternative fuels solutions provider can be a highly effective way for both cement and waste management companies to navigate what can be a technological, political and logistical minefield. These benefits can be realised on a number of levels: For example, Totus’ import/export and intra EU logistics experience has resulted in a detailed understanding of customer processes and kiln requirements. This, in turn, enables the accurate management and supply of waste derived fuels from a range of sources, ensuring continuity of supply and avoiding variations in specification which can lead to non-compliance. Access to this expertise and global network reduces pressure on customer resources and allows them to focus on their core business. It can also provide much needed confidence and further de-risk the increased use of waste derived fuels in co-processing operations.
About the author With over 20 years’ experience across the waste and cement sectors, and a specific focus on the management of alternative fuels, Juliet Currie oversees Totus’ commercial contracts in its Alternative Fuels division. A recognised ‘problem solver’, Juliet has strong links with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring she can provide customers with the most cost-effective, market leading solutions.
Challenges with export Navigating the minefield of TFS production and other administrative requirements is increasingly difficult, especially when coupled with pressure on transport capacity and the associated resources. Maintaining and developing export routes for customers has therefore been a primary area of focus over the last 12 months. When the UK ended its transition period with the EU in January 2021, material which 2021 World Cement Technology
Totus manages an extensive network of SRF producers and offtakers across the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, Greece and Eastern Europe. 55
AD INDE X ABC www.abc.org.uk
10
Energy Global www.energyglobal.com
IBC
AUMUND Foerdertechnik GmbH www.aumund.com
02
ES Processing www.es-processing.com
21
Axians www.axians-ias.com
OFC, 13, 19
KHD Humboldt Wedag www.khd.com
04
BEUMER Group www.beumergroup.com
IFC, 01
KIMA Process Control www.kima-process.de
15
Bosch Rexroth www.hagglunds.com
OBC
WCT2021 www.worldcement.com/wct2021
36 – 37
CalPortland www.calportland.com
09
World Cement www.worldcement.com
23, 31, 56
Stay Informed
Keep up to date with us to hear the latest World Cement news
www.worldcement.com
Global Publication
ENERGY GL BAL Generating renewable energy from natural resources
Sign up to receive a digital copy of the magazine www.energyglobal.com/magazine
Challenge your material limits
Nothing should stand in the way of your productivity – least of all the materials you move. With our compact Hägglunds direct drive systems, you can adapt easily to the job at hand, taking advantage of full torque at an infinite range of speeds. And should an overload try to stop you, the drives’ low moment of inertia and quick response will keep your machines protected. We’ll support you too, with an agile global network and smart connectivity to bring you peace of mind. Driven to the core.
www.hagglunds.com