FLSmidth (Czechia)

Pyrolysis of waste and biomass can be integrated into cement plants to supply energy to the cement processes through char and light gases while producing pyrolysis oil as an additional revenue stream. This study investigated the feasibility of applying waste and biomass pyrolysis in cement plants through laboratory (0.5 kg/h) and pilot scale (6 kg/h) experiments using sand and cement raw meal (CRM) as fluid bed materials. The resulting pyrolysis oils were analyzed and compared to benchmark oils, including commercial pyrolysis oils from wood and plastic and marine fuels. Laboratory experiments achieved oil yields of up to 57 wt % for beech wood and 60 wt % for refuse-derived fuel (RDF) waste. The type of fluid bed material had a minimal impact on oil quality. However, shifting from beech wood to RDF waste led to significant changes, including reduced water content and total acid number (TAN), increased viscosity and heating value, and higher chlorine content due to the presence of plastic fractions in the waste. Pilot scale pyrolysis yielded oils with lower oxygen and chlorine contents and lower TAN compared to lab-scale oils, attributed to higher temperatures, oxygen ingress, and the presence of calcined raw meal during pilot tests. The produced oils were evaluated for marine fuel applications using the ISO 8217:2024 standard, analyzing properties such as the water content, TAN, calorific value, flash point, chlorine content, viscosity, and evaporation characteristics. Pilot plant waste-derived oils showed potential as maritime fuel blends, while beech wood-based oils exhibited inferior properties, such as high TAN and low flash points. Results indicate that high-plastics-content waste enhances the suitability of the oil for use as marine fuel, requiring only minor post processing, while high-biomass-content waste will require further upgrading for marine applications.

The cement industry is under increasing pressure to provide environmentally friendly and sustainable products while also meeting more stringent emissions standards. Globally, cement producers are trending towards incorporation of supplementary cementitious materials to address these challenges, but traditional methods limit the ability to meet national standards. This paper presents concepts for the treatment of raw materials for the manufacture of supplementary cementitious materials. The systems produce a high quality product which allows for increased use in cement blends. The flexibility of these concepts allows for the use of a wide variety of raw materials to produce high quality products with lower fuel consumption and lower emissions over traditional methods.

Cement producers are continually placed under increased pressure to further reduce production costs to improve competitiveness while at the same time facing equally high pressure to further reduce specific emission rates. Substitution of bituminous coal with alternative fuels, such as petroleum coke, can yield significant cost savings for the cement producer. However, in the modern pyroprocess, such a substitution can have adverse affects to the specific gaseous emission rates. This paper focused upon high temperature combustion and secondary methods for emission control while firing alternative fuels. Case studies were presented to illustrate the practical aspects of such control measures.