1. Art and Diseño

WORLD CEMENT
February 2015
February 2015
www.worldcement.com
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CONTENTS
FEBRUARY
WORLD CEMENT REGULARS
22
69
05 Comment
07 News
15 Keynote: Cement’s First Torrefaction Project
Frederick De Raedt, Alterros LLC, and John Kline and
Charles Kline, Kline Consulting.
93 Product News
96 Regional Report Infographic
REGIONAL REPORT: CHINA & THE
FAR EAST
61 New Levels of Protection
Linas Mazeika, 3L&T Inc., USA.
22 Far East: Opportunities & Risks
Paul Maxwell-Cook.
65 Comprehensive Cooler Maintenance
ICC Specialist Mechanical Engineers.
RAW MATERIAL & CEMENT GRINDING
LOADING, UNLOADING & STORAGE
SYSTEMS
27 Operational Experience
Dr Caroline Woywadt, Gebr. Pfeiffer SE, Germany.
COVER STORY
69 Love Me, Tender
Martin Bakker, Van Aalst Bulk Handling B.V.,
the Netherlands.
34 Controlled Conveying
Xaver Meier and Siegfried Andräß, SICK AG, Germany.
75 Withstanding The Heat
Daniele Sciuto, Euromecc, Italy.
PYROPROCESSING & MAINTENANCE
ALTERNATIVE CEMENT MIXES
41 The Heart of Operations
Serge Jorget and David Kotrys, Fives FCB, France.
79 Zero Cement Structural Concrete Offers
Opportunity Not Threat
45 Enhancing Combustion Systems with Oxygen
Gary C. Palo and Russell Hewertson, Air Products, USA, and
Petr Tlamicha, Air Products, Czech Republic.
49 Evolution Through Experience
Reinhard Ringdorfer, Unitherm, Austria.
55 Acid Resistant Insulation
Peter H. Trane, Skamol A/S, Denmark.
David Ball, past President of the Concrete Society,
Founder and Chairman of David Ball Group PLC, UK.
82 Flyash: A Key Ingredient For Success
Dr Robert Carroll, UK Quality Ash Association (UKQAA).
85 Transforming Adversities Into Opportunities
Dr S. P. Pandey and R. A. Somani, R&D and Technical
Services, Dalmia Bharat Ltd, India.
BAGGING & PACKING
WORLD CEMENT
February 2015
91 Bagging & Packing Round-up
News items from Beumer, BillerudKorsnäs,
Haver & Boecker and Windmöller & Hölscher.
February 2015
THIS MONTH’S COVER
SICK Instrumentation is perfectly suited to the high demands
of the cement industry. The wide product portfolio provides
solutions for gas measurement from the kiln for process
control and to the stack for emissions compliance. SICK is
the only manufacturer offering a complete solution for the
measurement of dust, volume flow and gas concentration.
www.worldcement.com
RELIABLE GAS SAMPLING
IN EMISSIONS AND
PROCESS CONTROL
OFC_WCT_February-2015.indd 1
23/01/2015 12:21
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February 2015
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COMMENT
FEBRUARY
Katherine Guenioui, Editor
[email protected]
According to Chinese
superstition, only one out of ten
people born in the Year of the
Goat finds happiness. Expectant
mothers may therefore be
encouraging their babies to
make an early entrance into the
world to avoid the 19th February
cut-off when the calendar turns
and the Year of the Goat begins.
When it comes to the fortune
of the country itself, however,
perhaps it is best to look to
analysts rather than astrologers.
News reports in January this year told that China has
surpassed the US to become the world’s biggest economy.
In the same month, we were warned that growth had fallen
to its slowest pace in 24 years – though still an enviable
7.4%, it was below the government target of 7.5%. The
target for 2015 has yet to be announced, but Fitch Ratings
is forecasting 6.8% growth this year and 6.5% in 2016. In
Europe such numbers would be celebrated; in China, they are
cause for concern.
A downward trend is inevitable after almost three
decades of double-digit growth. China has issues with bad
debt and a stagnant property market, not to mention a smog
problem that is, according to various figures, responsible
for somewhere between 0.5 and 1.2 million deaths each
year. Economy-wide debt has reached about 250% of GDP.
The government has injected huge sums of cash into the
economy, which have failed to have any significant impact
on bringing down interest rates for businesses and industry.
Despite all this, analysts do not seem overly concerned about
consumption – the rising middle class continues to rise and
with oil prices dropping, consumers should find themselves
with more purchasing power.
As for the aforementioned smog problem, China is
working on it. Government targets to reduce emissions were
reportedly met last year, with 7 million high-emission vehicles
taken off the road and 50 000 coal-fired furnaces shut down,
among other activities. The China National Coal Association
reported in January that coal production had fallen 2.1%
in the first 11 months of 2014 – the first time production
has decreased since 2000. In November the government
announced a cap on emissions from cement and steel
plants, which stipulates that emissions from these industries
remain at the same level in 2020 as in 2015. Since steel
and cement are responsible for one fifth of the country’s
total CO2 emissions, finding a way to stabilise their CO2
output would make a significant difference to the country’s
environmental performance. So far, that way mostly seems
to be getting rid of outdated capacity. For the steel industry,
which produces more than China can use, another method
is pushing production overseas – plans are already in place
for Chinese steel plants in South Africa, Eastern Europe and
South America. Could cement be next? Unlikely. Construction
growth is still forecast at 8% in the short-term as demand
from urbanisation and industrialisation continues to rise.
Modernisation is ongoing.
Speaking of modernisation, you may have noticed
the new advert for a World Cement App. Subscribers
can now download the digital version of the magazine
to their iPad or Android tablet at no extra cost by
visiting www.worldcement.com/cement-app. If you
haven’t yet received your password, please email
[email protected] and we will send it along.
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WORLD NEWS
FEBRUARY
Egypt Boldrocchi completes
dedusting project at
Suez Cement’s Sokhna plant
USA Nine Cemex plants
receive Wildlife Habitat Council
certification
Boldrocchi Ecologia has successfully completed the
commissioning and startup of new air pollution
control equipment for the Suez Cement Sokhna plant’s
Line 1. The mechanical installation was completed in
October 2014. After three months of operation (since
startup), tests have shown good results and performance
of the equipment, with the dust emission level
at <5 mg/m3.
The commissioned dedusting line consists of a kiln and
raw mill baghouse filter, clinker cooler heat exchanger
and bag filters with new exhaust fans. The turnkey project
carried out at the Sokhna plant represents the third time
Boldrocchi has supplied air pollution control equipment
for Suez Cement Group of Companies (SCGC) in Egypt.
The company has carried out projects at the cement
manufacturer’s Helwan and El Minya (white cement)
facilities over the last three years.
Nine Cemex USA sites received certifications through
the Wildlife Habitat Council’s (WHC) Corporate Lands
for Learning and Wildlife at Work programmes.
The Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) certification
recognises exemplary conservation education and
outreach opportunities provided to local communities.
Cemex’s 474 sand mine (FL), Brooksville South
operations (FL), FEC quarry (FL) and Knoxville plant (TN)
were recertified with WHC’s CLL programme, while its
Fairborn plant (OH) received a new certification.
Wildlife at Work recognises the creation,
conservation and restoration of habitats, with employee
and community involvement. Cemex’s 474 sand mine
(FL), Brooksville South operations (FL), Center Hill mine
(FL), FEC quarry (FL), Gator sand mine (FL) and Lake
Wales sand mine (FL) achieved recertification, while its
Clinchfield plant (GA) received a new certification.
India UltraTech approves acquisition of JP Associates assets
The Board of Directors of UltraTech Cement Ltd
has approved the acquisition of the following
Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) cement businesses in
Madhya Pradesh:
ll
An integrated plant at Bela with a capacity of
2.1 million tpy of clinker and 2.6 million tpy of cement.
ll
An integrated plant at Sidhi with a capacity of
3.1 million tpy of clinker and 2.3 million tpy of cement.
ll
180 MW TPP, of which 25 MW is situated at Bela and
155 MW at Sidhi.
This acquisition will create significant synergies and
increase the company’s presence in the Satna region
of Madhya Pradesh. The surplus clinker will enable
UltraTech to augment its cement capacity by a further
1.8 – 2.5 million tpy, in addition to the 4.9 million tpy
mentioned above. This will increase the company’s
total cement capacity in India from ~60 million tpy
to ~65 million tpy and, with new projects underway,
capacity is set to rise to ~71 million tpy by 2016.
The Board has approved the Memorandum of
Understanding setting out the broad terms and
conditions of the proposed acquisition, which has
an agreed enterprise value of Rs.5400 crores. The
transaction is subject to customary due diligence,
definitive agreements and regulatory approvals.
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
•
CRH issues statement on LafargeHolcim
speculation
•
Siwertell delivers third road-mobile unloader
to Turkish customer
•
Argos recognised for sustainability efforts
To read more about these
articles go to:
February 2015
World Cement
/7
Egypt Claudius Peters wins follow-up order for El Arish Cement
Claudius Peters has won a follow-up order from
the government of Egypt for two 6000 tpd
ETA 10611 S Coolers for El Arish Cement,
following four years of successful operation with
two existing ETA Coolers.
“Both ETA Coolers have proven [to have had]
excellent performance and maintenance benefits
for 4 years of operation. That is the reason why
we decided to continue with this convincing
clinker cooling technology and we ordered
two new ETA Coolers each with a capacity of
6000 tpd,” said Eng. Mahmoud, Production and
Maintenance GM.
Worldwide HeidelbergCement to sell its North American and UK
building products business
HeidelbergCement has entered into a definitive
agreement with an American affiliate of
Lone Star Funds to sell its North American (excluding
Western Canada) and UK building products business
(Hanson Building Products), for an aggregate purchase
price of US$1.4 billion, of which up to US$100 million
will be payable in 2016, depending on the performance
of the business in 2015. The closing is subject to
the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
HeidelbergCement expects the transaction to close in
the first quarter of this year.
The sale of Hanson Building Products is consistent
with HeidelbergCement’s strategy of focusing on
processing and refining raw materials for its core
products of cement and aggregates and further
downstream activities. Deutsche Bank AG, BNP Paribas
and Bank of America Merrill Lynch acted as financial
advisors and Shearman & Sterling LLP acted as legal
advisor to HeidelbergCement for the transaction. For
Lone Star Funds, Citi, Credit Suisse and Barclays acted as
financial advisors, with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher acting
as legal advisor.
“Hanson Building Products is a multinational
business with leading market positions, but the focus
of its product portfolio on bricks, pressure and gravity
pipes and precast is outside the core businesses of
HeidelbergCement. We are pleased that Lone Star will
acquire this business, which as an experienced financial
investor will support the sustainable development of
the business going forward,” said Dr Bernd Scheifele,
CEO of HeidelbergCement. “We will use the proceeds
to accelerate our debt pay down. This is an important
step towards reaching our target financial metrics that
are relevant for improving our credit-worthiness. I am
very pleased with our financial discipline in 2014 and
we will do our utmost to continue to create value for
our shareholders in 2015.”
Hanson Building Products is a leading
manufacturer of concrete pressure and gravity pipes
in North America, as well as one of the largest brick
producers in North America and the UK. The business
employs 4621 people and has an extensive network of
107 manufacturing plants and 11 distribution facilities
in the US, Eastern Canada and the UK.
EVENTS
14 – 15 April 2015
21 – 24 April 2015
26 – 30 April 2015
7th Africa CemenTrade Summit
IEEE-IAS/PCA Conference
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
24th AFCM Technology
Symposium & Exhibition
www.cmtevents.com
Hanoi, Vietnam
www.cementconference.org
Toronto, Canada
[email protected]
27 – 29 April 2015
3 – 7 May 2015
15 – 18 September 2015
Cementtech 2015
UNITECR 2015
Beijing, China
37th International Cement
Microscopy Association Conference
www.cementtech.com
Seattle, USA
www.unitecr2015.org
www.cemmicro.org
8\
February 2015
World Cement
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Europe FLSmidth sells Cembrit
Holding for DKK1.1 billion
UK Hope announces major
investment plans
FLSmidth has concluded its divestment of all interests
in building materials companies with the sale of its
shares in Cembrit Holding A/S to a company in the
Solix Group AB for DKK1.1 billion. Cembrit is one of the
leading distributors and manufacturers of fibre-cement
products in Europe.
The buyer is a consortium of investors headed by
Solix Group AB. Solix’ strategy is to retain and further
develop Cembrit, which has been part of the FLSmidth
Group since 1927.
The Cembrit sales process was initiated in August 2012,
but stalled in August 2013, as it was not possible at the
time to find the right new owner of Cembrit. The decision
was taken to postpone the sales process for a period of
3 – 4 years, during which a new Board of Directors, new
sales initiatives and productivity improvements would be
initiated, a process currently well under way. Recently,
however, FLSmidth was approached by the Solix Group,
which presented an attractive unsolicited offer. The
transaction is expected to close during 1Q15.
Hope Construction Materials celebrated its second
anniversary by announcing that it is investing
£14 million in projects to increase production at the
Hope cement plant in Derbyshire.
The investment will help improve the plant’s
sustainability, enhance the efficiency of its operations,
and allow the company to fulfil its ambitious growth
targets over the coming years.
India Sanghi Industries to invest
in renewable energy and port
development
ll Improvements to the way the raw materials are
fed into the twin kilns.
Sanghi Industries Ltd has announced plans to invest
Rs.250 crore over the next couple of years, with a focus
on sustainable development, innovation and energy
conservation. The company will invest Rs.150 crore in the
construction of a new 15 MW waste heat recovery (WHR)
system and another Rs.100 crore to develop its facilities at
Navlakhi Port in Gujarat.
Sanghi Industries has already signed a contract for the
installation of a 15 MW WHR system at its Kutch plant
in Gujarat. The use of this technology will result in fossil
fuel and foreign exchange savings, as well as a significant
reduction in the emission of pollutant gases such as CO2
and SO2. Sanghi will recover more than 70% of waste heat
generated from its cement manufacturing process.
For the conservation of coastal soil, the company
will undertake a mangrove plantation spread over
200 hectares on the Gujarat coast. This initiative will
protect the ecology and coastal environment and will also
improve socio-economic development.
“Our focus is on increasing efficiencies at our
manufacturing facilities, as well as reducing our
carbon footprint by cutting down on pollutants that
affect the environment,” said Alok Sanghi, Director of
Sanghi Industries. “Also, in line with the Ministry of
Shipping agenda to increase transportation through the
coastal sea route, Sanghi has set up a terminal with an
investment of Rs.50 crore at Navlakhi Port. We will invest
an additional Rs.100 crore to further develop the terminal
at Navlakhi as the sea route reduces our transportation
cost considerably.”
10 \
February 2015
World Cement
Key investment projects:
ll Completion of a multi-million pound system to
increase the amount of sustainable waste-derived
fuels the operation can accommodate.
ll An internal overhaul of the iconic Hope chimney,
which will involve the construction and use of
a second temporary chimney for a number of
months.
ll Construction of a new storage facility to increase
stock holding of cement clinker. This will help
secure a consistent supply of cement to the
construction industry.
ll Maintenance and refurbishment of a large
section of one of the two kilns. The delivery and
installation of this section of kiln and the kiln
tyre have involved months of project planning,
complex transport logistics and the use of oversize
cranes onsite.
“We are very excited to be involved in the largest
investment programme onsite for many years,” said
Ed Cavanagh, Hope Works Operations Manager.
“This works has operated for more than 85 years
and directly employs nearly 200 people, making a
massive contribution to the UK construction industry,
producing 1.5 million t of cement at the site in 2014.”
Hope Construction Materials’ Industrial Director
Ashley Bryan inside the recently completed 20 000 t
capacity clinker store at Hope Works in Derbyshire.
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Europe N+P announces further cooperation with Dyckerhoff
N+P has announced that it will expand its cooperation
for the delivery of high quality Subcoal® pellets with
Dyckerhoff in Germany.
Subcoal® is produced at the Qlyte facility in Delfzijl,
the Netherlands. The Qlyte facility produces around
65 000 tpy of Subcoal® pellets; for this it processes
approximately 100 000 t of non-recyclable paper-plastic
waste fractions, which otherwise would have ended up
in landfill or waste incineration. The Subcoal® is used
to replace lignite dust or bituminous coal at power
stations, and in lime and cement kilns.
Dyckerhoff began using Subcoal® two years ago
and since then both N+P and Dyckerhoff have worked
together to improve the alternative fuel for optimal use
in their kilns. The cooperation has led to a new Subcoal®
fuel, which is used at the Dyckerhoff kiln in Lengerich.
The kiln in Geseke will continue to use the standard
Subcoal® quality.
USA ANH Refractories rebrands as HarbisonWalker International
One of the world’s leading refractory materials and
services providers, ANH Refractories Company, has
announced the decision to rebrand itself under the
new name of HarbisonWalker International, effective
immediately. The decision was made following an
exhaustive market research and branding initiative in
which one of the company’s legacy brands, HarbisonWalker, returned the highest awareness and positive
customer perception of all of the company’s brands.
The former ANH Family of Companies, including
A.P. Green Refractories Company, North American
Refractories Company, and Harbison-Walker
Refractories Company, is known as a knowledgeable
leader in the manufacture and supply of innovative
refractory products for a wide range of industry
applications presenting, among other things,
challenging heat-intensive or chemically corrosive
production environments.
Building on this strong heritage, the new
HarbisonWalker International is positioning itself as
the first and only choice for comprehensive solutions
to address the needs of its growing international
customer base. It also hopes to reinvigorate the
strong bond between the company and both its
employees and its customers.
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
HarbisonWalker International has a network of
18 manufacturing facilities and 28 distribution
centres to serve markets across North America,
manufacturing facilities in the UK, Indonesia and
Mexico, as well as a lab/testing facility located in
China.
IN BRIEF
Cemex has closed the
series of transactions
with Holcim originally
announced on 28 August 2013
and supplemented on
30 October 2014. Cemex
acquired all of Holcim’s assets
in the Czech Republic and
divested its western German
assets to Holcim. In Spain,
Cemex acquired Holcim’s
Gador plant and Yeles cement
grinding station. As part of
these transactions, Cemex
paid A45 million to Holcim.
12 \
February 2015
World Cement
Metso Corporation has
entered into an agreement
with Valmet for the sale
of its Process Automation
Systems (PAS) business. The
divestment forms part of
Metso’s strategy to focus
on the product and services
businesses for the mining,
aggregates, oil and gas
industries, as announced
in July 2014. Subject to
regulatory approval, the
transaction is expected to
close by April 2015.
Lafarge Tarmac has awarded
Babcock International Group
a £41 million 5-year contract
(with a 5-year extension
option) to provide a fleet
managed service for its Heavy
Mobile Equipment (HME)
across the UK. Babcock will
work closely with Lafarge
Tarmac to procure the right
equipment at the most
competitive price, securing
better warranty terms and
continuing to advise on and
source new market products.
KEYNOTE
FEBRUARY
Cement’s First
Torrefaction Project
Frederick De Raedt, Alterros LLC, and John Kline and
Charles Kline, Kline Consulting, discuss the cement industry’s first
torrefaction project, which is taking place at Lafarge’s Richmond
plant in British Columbia.
update image
Introduction
There is a global, scientific consensus that climate
change is happening, and that one of the leading
causes is anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide. By
limiting our CO2 emissions, mankind hopes to mitigate
the effects of climate change as much as possible.
Annually, the global cement industry emits nearly
2 billion t of CO2, which is roughly 5% of the total
global CO2 emissions per annum.
The Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) and the
International Energy Agency (IEA) have established
a road map with the intent of lowering the cement
industry’s CO2 emissions by roughly 40% by 2050. In
order to do this, they have identified the following
levers to reduce emissions: carbon capture and storage,
clinker substitution, alternative fuels and biomass, and
energy efficiency.
Of these four levers, alternative fuels and biomass is
proposed to account for 24% of the total reduction in
CO2 emissions. In order to reach this goal, a significant
amount of investment and R&D will be required to
address the issues that arise from using non-traditional
sources of fuel. New, emerging technologies need to be
tested to ensure that they are the appropriate choice
for the industry’s goals.
A new torrefaction project is currently being
constructed in Canada and may be the first of its kind
to produce ‘biocoal’ for a cement plant. Torrefaction is
fast becoming an interesting process for improving the
characteristics of biomass fuels.
Biomass
The planet has a natural carbon cycle that connects the
biosphere with the carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon
February 2015
World Cement
/ 15
Alternative fuel: switchgrass
Presently, there are two cement plants in North
America experimenting with switchgrass as an
alternative fuel source: Lafarge at its Bath, Ontario,
plant and Buzzi Unicem at its Stockertown,
Pennsylvania, plant. Switchgrass is a resilient and
versatile plant, which evolved to grow over a large
portion of the North American continent. One of the
many attractive features of switchgrass is that after
a good growing season, plants can grow 10 ft tall,
with stems as thick as 6 mm. In addition to being
fast growing, switchgrass also serves a multipurpose
role. Not only can it be grown as a cash crop for
an emerging biomass market, but farmers can also
use it as feedstock for herds, or as a natural way to
enhance their soil. This provides farmers with an
additional incentive to grow the crop.
Table 1. Chemical makeup of typical biomass
materials
Polymer
Hard
wood
Soft
wood
Biomass
crops
Hemicellulose
18 – 35
20 – 32
31 – 38
Lignin
18 – 25
23 – 35
18 – 22
Cellulose
40 – 44
40 – 44
31 – 45
dioxide is captured by plants and used as the building
blocks of life through photosynthesis. The CO2 is used
and stored throughout the lifecycle of the plant, before
it eventually decomposes and is released back into the
atmosphere, completing the cycle.
Fossil fuels, although also carbon-based, are not
part of this natural carbon cycle. By burning fossil fuels,
which have been trapped below ground for thousands
or millions of years, extra CO2 is released into the
atmosphere, creating an excess of greenhouse gases,
and in turn contributing to global climate change.
By changing fuel sources from fossil fuels to biomass,
CO2 emissions become ‘carbon neutral,’ as long as the
rate of fuel use does not outpace the rate of biomass
regeneration. Therefore, biomass as a CO2 neutral fuel
source becomes very appealing.
However, there are several difficulties associated
with the use of biomass as a fuel source. Of particular
concern to the cement industry are the following. First,
unprocessed biomass tends to have a low heat value.
This means that a larger amount of biomass is required
to replace traditional fuel sources; for example, raw
wood has roughly 30% of the calorific value of coal.
Second, unprocessed biomass has a high initial moisture
content. Using such a fuel would result in the creation
of large amounts of steam, which would lead to a
reduction in kiln throughput due to the higher volume
of combustion products generated per tonne of clinker.
Third, the low heat value and high
moisture content can lead to a reduced
flame temperature and longer flame,
negatively impacting clinker reactivity.
However, torrifying raw biomass
provides a finished product referred to as
‘biocoal’, resolving several (if not all) of
these issues.
Figure 1. Phase changes that occur during torrefaction (adapted from
Uslu, 2005). Phase 1: drying; phase 2: glass transition/softening;
phase 3: depolymerisation and recondensation; phase 4: limited
devolatilisation and carbonisation; phase 5: extensive devolatilisation
and carbonation.
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February 2015
World Cement
Torrefaction
The first step to using biocoal as an
alternate fuel source is to identify a
readily available supply of biomass. Most
of the torrefaction technologies that are
currently available have been developed
and tested for woody biomass. However,
there are several sources of biomass
available that can be tapped as potential
supply chains. Such sources include
farming wastes and residues, forestry
wastes and residues, municipal solid
wastes, and of course, biomass crops.
Table 1 gives an indication of the
components of interest in some of these
types of materials.
Once a supply has been identified,
the next step is to perfect the process.
Each source of biomass is unique in its
requirements for processing. Factors that
need to be considered while designing
the system include (but are not limited
to): the chemical makeup and the initial
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Figure 2. Typical torrefaction process.
Figure 3. Typical heat and mass balance.
moisture content of the biomass. These parameters
determine the temperature of ‘roast’ (the thermal
processing of the biomass that drives off the light
volatiles and moisture) and the length of the roast.
Figure 1 illustrates the phase changes that take place
during torrefaction of the basic biomass materials.
Process
A typical torrefaction process starts with the raw
biomass being fed into a drying unit. This is of
vital importance for the efficiency of the system.
Occasionally, a sizing and pre-drying unit will be
required to get the initial size and moisture content
of the biomass to a more manageable level before
it is introduced to the torrefaction process. Once the
biomass is as dry as possible, it is then introduced into
the torrefaction reactor where the remaining moisture
will be driven off by temperatures in the range of 200˚C
to 300˚C. It is important to note that in addition to the
thermal conditions, the reactor is also a lean oxygen
environment in order to prevent combustion.
Under these conditions, the biomass undergoes
thermo-chemical transformations (Figure 1). At this
point, the biopolymers (cellulose, hemicellulose and
lignin) contained within the biomass partly decompose,
giving off volatiles. These volatiles (also known as
syn-gas) are usually recycled in a closed-loop system,
and are then used to maintain the level of heat
necessary for torrefaction. One of the strengths of the
technology is that apart from the initial thermal energy
required to start the process, very little additional
thermal energy is required to maintain the process.
In a situation where a torrefaction unit is
integrated into the cement plant (rather than being
an independent unit), waste heat can be diverted from
the cement process (for example, off the cooler vent or
18 \
February 2015
World Cement
preheater tower) to help drive the torrefaction
reaction. In such cases, excess volatiles can then
be diverted from the torrefaction process to
function as another fuel stream in the cement
plant.
Once the biomass has finished roasting, it can
then pass into a cooling unit to bring the biocoal
to handling temperatures ready for use as an
alternative energy source. In situations where
pelletisation is desired, additional processing to
densify the biocoal is usually carried out ahead
of the cooling. Densifying the biocoal increases
the heat value and reduces the shipping costs.
A typical heat and mass balance is shown in
Figure 3. It is worth noting that although the
high heat value (HHV) has decreased in the solids,
the actual heat per unit mass (0.9 HHV/ 0.7 kg)
has increased.
Advantages of biocoal
Pelletised biocoal has several advantages over
biomass as a fuel source. Biocoal has a lower
moisture content than biomass. Torrefied wood
pellets will have a moisture content of 0 – 5% (by
weight), compared to 30 – 45% (by weight) of wood.
Furthermore, torrefied wood pellets have a much
higher bulk density than biomass, with pellets typically
ranging between 0.75 to 0.85 kg/l, compared to 0.2 to
0.25 kg/l for wood. Pellets also have a higher calorific
value than wood, typically between 20 – 24 MJ/kg,
compared to 9 – 12 MJ/kg. This means that the overall
volumetric energy density of the pellets is significantly
higher than wood (again, 15.0 – 18.7 GJ/m3 as opposed
to 2.0 – 3.0 GJ/m3). This results in significantly lower
shipping costs for the same amount of energy.
Furthermore, biocoal is hydrophobic in nature, which
means it requires less complex storage requirements
prior to use, as well as being less sensitive to
degradation. Therefore cement plants that use remote
torrefaction processes may consider pelletising the
torrefied biomass to reduce transport costs and improve
longer-term outdoor storage.
Biocoal has similar characteristics to traditional
coal, and can be added directly to an existing solid
fuel system at most cement plants. Biomass burning
would typically require the installation of dedicated
equipment and systems (such as special feeding systems
and burners).
While there are several advantages to using biocoal
over biomass, there may remain a few drawbacks
of switching to a green energy source over more
traditional fuel sources. First, though the energy
density of biocoal is significantly higher than that of
unprocessed biomass, it is slightly lower than that of
coal, meaning that to achieve similar energy outputs,
a greater amount of biocoal is required. Furthermore,
the cost of biocoal is likely to be higher than the cost
of coal. While the economies of shipping and handling
are roughly the same, the cost of production is higher.
Several studies have been conducted in an attempt to
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Table 2. Fuel properties
Wood
Wood pellets
Torrefied wood
pellets
Charcoal
Coal
Moisture content (% wt)
30 – 45
7 – 10
1–5
1–5
10 – 15
Calorific value (MJ/kg)
9 – 12
15 – 16
20 – 24
30 – 32
23 – 28
Volatiles (% db)
70 – 75
70 – 75
55 – 65
10 – 12
15 – 30
Fixed carbon (% db)
20 – 25
20 – 25
28 – 35
85 – 87
50 – 55
Bulk density (kg/l)
0.2 – 0.25
0.55 – 0.75
0.75 – 0.85
~0.20
0.8 – 0.85
Volumetric energy density
(GJ/m3)
2.0 – 3.0
7.5 – 10.4
15.0 – 18.7
6.0 – 6.4
18.4 – 23.8
Dust
Average
Limited
Limited
High
Limited
Hydroscopic properties
Hydrophilic
Hydrophilic
Hydrophobic
Hydrophobic
Hydrophobic
Biological degradation
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Milling requirements
Special
Special
Classic
Classic
Classic
Handling properties
Special
Easy
Easy
Easy
Easy
Product consistency
Limited
High
High
High
High
Transport cost
High
Average
Low
Average
Low
(Table recreated from ‘Overview of International Developments in Torrefaction’, M.Sc. C.P. Kleinschmidt)
fully understand the economics of torrefaction, but
due to the variety of factors involved, it is difficult
to definitively state what the price of biocoal is. A
conservative assumption is that the price of biocoal is
anywhere between 1.5 and 2 times the (average) price
of coal in the US today.
However, as carbon taxes and cap and trade systems
become more established and mature, the economics
of green energy sources will change. Added incentives
will not only make the cost more palatable, but funds
gathered under these regulatory schemes can be used
to further the research and development of alternative
fuel sources. As an example, the Canadian province
of Alberta has had a carbon tax in place since 2007.
Funds collected from the carbon tax are placed in the
Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund.
This is managed by the Climate Change and Emissions
Management Corporation (CCEMC), which was created
in 2009 to distribute the money gathered by the tax
as funding to various projects that would help reduce
Alberta’s emissions.
Torrefaction in cement
One advantage of co-locating a torrefaction reactor
with a cement plant is that the plants typically have
a ready source of waste heat that can be diverted for
use in the torrefaction process. Assuming the waste
heat that comes off the cooler vent or preheater
tower to be in the range of 300˚C to 350˚C, this can
easily be used both to dry the biomass before it enters
the torrefaction reactor and in the reactor itself to
help power the reactions. Furthermore, co-locating
would completely eliminate the need to ship the
biocoal, as it would be used onsite. Assuming that
a stock of biomass is readily available in the vicinity,
shipping costs would be almost entirely eliminated.
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February 2015
World Cement
At the time of writing, there is only one torrefaction
project involved with the cement industry in
North America. At Lafarge Canada’s Richmond plant
in British Columbia, the company has partnered with
a local renewable energy firm with funding from the
British Columbia Bioenergy Network (BCBN), Sustainable
Development Technology Canada, private sector
investors and other funders (for a total of US$9 million
in funding), to deliver a fully automated, 25 000 tpy
torrefaction facility. This torrefaction reactor is designed
to process wood and wood residuals, and will reduce the
CO2 emissions of the Richmond plant by approximately
52 500 tpy, equivalent to 10 500 fossil fuelled
cars. This is a major contribution to Lafarge’s 2020
Sustainability Ambition, with a goal of 50% non-fossil
fuel substitution, with 30% of that substitution being
biomass.
The torrefaction unit will be located closer to the
source of biomass, in Merritt, British Columbia, which is
located approximately 300 km away from the Richmond
plant. The finished biocoal will then be shipped by truck,
and will account for roughly 10% of the fuel used by
the plant. Delivery of the biocoal is expected to begin
in March 2015. If this technology proves commercially
viable, it could be the start of a new trend for cement
plants with easy access to biomass, particularly in areas
where a carbon tax has been implemented.
Bibliography
•
KLEINSCHMIDT, C. P., ‘Overview of International Developments in
Torrefaction’: http://www.ieabcc.nl/workshops/task32_2011_graz_
torrefaction/Kleindschmidt_Paper.pdf.
•
USLU, A., ‘Pre-Treatment Technologies, and Their Effects on the
International Bioenergy Supply Chain Logistics: Techno-economic
evaluation of torrefaction, fast pyrolysis and pelletisation’,
December 2005.
•
KOPPEJAN, J., et al., ‘Status Overview of Torrefaction Technologies’,
IEA Bioenergy Task 32 Report, December 2012.
Material handling
and sizing solutions
MMD has been involved in sizing and handling of the disparate raw
materials used in cement production for over 30 years.
The MMD Sizer’s breaking action makes it ideal for sticky and hard
material, both separately or combined. The “churning” action of
its twin shafts making it ideal for blending different material and
centralizing it on the take-away conveyor. Its compact profile, low
weight and the generation of minimal external loads enabling
it to be easily retro fitted in to existing plants and eminently
suitable for mobile units.
MMD also produces heavy duty, variable speed apron plate and
chain feeders which, when used in conjunction with the MMD
Mineral Sizer, and controlled by cross-belt analysers, can provide
a consistent blend of material, allowing for independent mobile
installations and a reduction in the number of stockpiles required.
MMD’s world wide support structure enables them to provide the
complete sizing solution to the global cement industry.
THE MMD GROUP OF COMPANIES
W W W. M M D S I Z E R S . C O M
Introduction
Towards the end of 2014, the IMF predicted that China
would overtake the United States by the end of that
year to become the world’s largest economy, five years
earlier than expected. Others say it will be 2015, but no
matter the timing, we know that it will be a reality. As
the Chinese government begins to formulate the next
Five-Year Plan covering 2016 – 2020, we look at recent
developments in China, and in its neighbours, Taiwan,
Japan and South Korea.
China
One in a billion
Jack Ma has come a long way since he was an informal
tour guide in Hangzhou, China, in the late 1970s and then
an English teacher at the Hangzhou Teacher’s Institute.
Today, he is China’s richest man, with a net worth of almost
US$22 billion. In September 2014, Alibaba, the giant online
22 \
retailer that he started in 1999, went public on the New
York Stock Exchange with a market value of US$230 billion.
It is said that he started Alibaba with his wife and 16 other
co-founders in his living room, which doubled as his
company office. He called the company Alibaba to evoke
the phrase ‘Open Sesame’. As Ma says: ‘the company’s
platforms open a doorway to fortune for small businesses’.
His success has been achieved through opportunism
and a passion to transform some big international
ideas into bigger Chinese ones. In the 12 months to
June 2014, Alibaba accounted for 54% of the country’s
package deliveries and helped to create 15 million jobs.
Fifty-one-year-old Ma, having achieved dominance in
the internet business scene in China, is now moving into
entertainment, finance and football. It is said he has a
‘burgeoning interest in environmentalism’. As John Stepek
wrote in Prospect/The Week Guide, ‘If investors ever
needed reminding that investing in China is a land of vast
potential opportunities amid all the risks, this was it.’
One year on,
Paul Maxwell-Cook
presents another
review of the major
countries that
are making the
headlines in the
Far East.
Property gloom
At present there are certainly plenty of risks. Real estate
investment, which affects more than 40 other sectors
from cement to furniture, rose by about 12.5% in 2014
acompared to 13.2% in the previous year. Wang Tao,
an analyst at UBS in Hong Kong, says: ‘The weakest
part of China’s recovery is still the property sector. The
government has relaxed some controls and property sales
may pick up, but we may not see improvement in sectors
like heavy industries. We expect the economy to continue
to slow down.’ In September 2014, the government
relaxed some controls, such as cutting mortgage rates and
down payment levels for some home buyers for the first
time since the 2008/09 global crisis in a move to boost the
economy, which was becoming threatened by a flagging
housing market. At the time, analysts felt it was too early
to see if the measures would halt price declines. In many
Chinese cities developers have massive inventories of
unsold homes, reports biznews.com.
It also mentions that in 2014, China’s largest cement
manufacturer, Anhui Conch Cement Company, posted its
slowest profit growth in a year and a half, pinched by the
weakening property sector.
Consolidation
Towards the end of 2014, The Ministry of Industry and
Information Technology announced that before the end of
the year over 82 million t of obsolete cement production
capacities would have been eliminated. This represented
an increase of over 30 million t from the original target
of 50 million t. The Chairman of Asia Cement (China),
Hsu Shu-tong, sounded a cautious note in September 2014,
stating that the growth rate of fixed assets investment
had declined while the property market had remained
depressed. The growth rate of cement demand had hit its
lowest level in 10 years. A report on www.cementchina.net
states that based on the relationship between the rate
of urbanisation and per capita cement consumption, the
/ 23
relationship between GDP and cement demand, and the
relationship between GDP growth and cement output
growth, China’s cement industry could well hit a peak
of consumption in about 10 years. It predicts that future
demand for cement will remain at 4.9% per year. It is
well known that since 2006, mergers and acquisitions
(M&As) have become the core theme of the industry’s
development. Private or large enterprises or groups that
form JVs are the ones on the lookout for these. The report
talks of ‘diversified ways of M&As. These include equity
acquisition, asset acquisition, asset replacement, and debt
restructuring. Cross-industry M&As will link upstream and
downstream industries to form integrated companies.’
Urbanisation accelerates
Last year, China’s State Council announced guidelines for
the country’s next round of urbanisation for 2014 – 2020,
which is targeted to rise from 53% in 2013 to 60% in
2020. Some 100 million rural residents are expected
to move into urban areas and set off RMB10 trillion
of investment in related municipal infrastructure.
Roger Liu of China Finance Online comments that further
integration of more developed city clusters in the East
(Beijing-Tianjin-Hebel, Yangtze River Delta and the
Pearl River Delta) and the expansion of new city clusters
in Central and Western China should spur investment
in cross-region transport and municipal infrastructure
construction. Social housing remains a key area and the
country aims to start construction of 7 million units and
spend RMB1 trillion to redevelop shanty towns. The
Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of
China said in September 2014 that 4.7 million households
were expected to have been built in 2014, compared with
over 3.2 million rebuilt houses in shanty towns in 2013.
Top two accord
In November 2014 came the historic declaration from
the Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation (APEC) Summit
in Beijing, that China and the United States had agreed
to new limits on carbon emissions.Together, the two
countries produce approximately 45% of the world’s
carbon emissions. President Barack Obama stated that the
US had set a goal of reducing greenhouse emissions by
26 – 28% by 2025, compared to 2005 levels. President Xi
Jinping said his country would cap its emissions by 2030.
This is the first time that China has set a date for capping.
At the same time the Chinese leader unveiled plans to
ensure at least 20% of the country’s energy will come
from alternative sources by 2030. As one reporter put it,
‘It is hoped that the historic deal will encourage others to
sign up to similar targets ahead of the global summit on
climate change in Paris in December of this year’.
Taiwan
More of the same
Taiwan Cement Corp. continues to expand its interests
in mainland China. In November 2014 it announced
plans to acquire Sichuan Railway Group Cement Co. for
US$110.57 million via a subsidiary. The deal will see Taiwan
24 \
February 2015
World Cement
Cement increase its annual cement capacity by 2 million t.
Its current total annual production in China is 55.2 million t
and in Taiwan it is 10.6 million t. This acquisition will make
the company the largest cement company in the vicinity
of Chongqing, Sichuan Province, with an annual capacity
of about 8 million tpy. We mentioned in our article in the
March 2014 issue that the company has set a target to raise
its capacity in China to 100 million t by the end of 2016. This
will be through further acquisitions and capacity expansion.
The company raised cement prices in Guangdong
Province in August and October 2014 amid rising demand
in the Pearl River Delta. It has indicated that prices might
also increase in other provinces such as Guangxi, Jiangsu,
Anhui, Fujian, Yunan, Sichuan and Guizhou.
We reported in June of last year that Taiwan’s second
largest cement manufacturer, Asia Cement Corp., was
on the lookout for new M&As in China. The production
capacity of its Chinese unit is expected to rise to 40 million t
in 2015 and up to 50 million t in 2016. This is based on the
premise that investment in infrastructure and property will
continue to grow through urbanisation in rural areas.
On 15 December at the 2014 Cross-Strait CEO Summit
in Taipei, Jack Ma, (yes him again), urged Taiwan’s small
businesses to sell their products to the mainland using
Alibaba as a platform. He was addressing business leaders
from China and Taiwan to tie in with an eight-day visit
by a top Chinese envoy. Trade with China continues to
be a sensitive topic as fears increase over the mainland’s
influence on Taiwan.
Japan
Recession and re-election
Last November came the shock news from Tokyo that the
Japanese economy, the world’s third largest, had fallen
into recession. This surprised experts who had mostly
predicted modest growth in the economy. When he took
office in 2012, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised to
improve the slumping economy through massive public
stimulus spending and reforms, a plan that became
known as ‘Abernomics’. The shrinking economy follows
the April 2014 rise in consumption tax from 5 to 8%,
which apparently discouraged spending by consumers
and businesses. This forced the Prime Minister to delay
a second tax hike of 10% until April 2017. He called for
a snap election in December 2014, the result of which
returned him to power on a record low turnout of
53.3%. He has vowed to pursue his Abernomics plan. The
LDP-led coalition could ease the Prime Minister’s path to
re-election in a party leadership race in September of this
year, and this might see him remain in power until 2018.
March 2015 marks the fourth anniversary of the triple
disaster of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown
known as the Great Tohoku Earthquake, which caused
unbelievable devastation. Planners in Japan are still facing
practical problems and unprecedented challenges with
over 62 municipalities affected in six different prefectures
along hundreds of kilometres of coastline. We mentioned
in our March 2013 issue that the post-earthquake era had
created a resurgence in construction. The Japan Credit
“My no.1 priority
is identifying
the root cause”
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alignment at [email protected]
Rating Agency Ltd, in summarising the financial results of
cement companies for the fiscal year to 31 March 2014,
said domestic demand for cement had increased by 7% to
47.71 million t. While public sector demand increased by
8.6%, centring around demand for earthquake disaster
reconstruction, disaster prevention and natural disaster
reduction works, private sector demand increased by 5.4%
as a result of a robust trend in housing investment and
capital investment. The Japan Cement Association had
forecast that domestic demand for FY14 would remain flat
at 48 million t. The Agency predicts that despite uncertainty
about the sustainability of economic recovery in and after
FY15, the demand for earthquake disaster reconstruction
and infrastructure development for the 2020 Olympics in
Tokyo will expand.
South Korea
barriers of trade and investment between the two countries,
ending negotiations that started in 2012. The agreement
covers 17 areas including online commerce and government
purchasing, but leaves barriers on rice and automobiles.
When asked who stands to benefit the most economically,
Gareth Leather, Asia Economist at Capital Economics, told
Deutsche Welle: ‘It seems that South Korea would benefit
most. China is South Korea’s biggest export market, with
total exports worth over US$145 billion, accounting for
25% of its exports and around 11% GDP. The acceleration
in export growth to China could deliver a large boost to
South Korea’s economy. But China will also benefit. In the
long run, the increase in trade between the two countries
could create opportunities for greater specialisation.’
This is not good news for Taiwan as South Korea is its
biggest competitor for the Chinese market, in which their
exports share an overlap of some 70%. Once the pact
between South Korea and China takes effect, Taiwanese
exporters will lose their competitive edge as Korean exports
enjoy substantial tariff advantages. The government
is suggesting that about 30% of Taiwanese industrial
products will be affected. The loss of market share in China
could see Taiwan’s GDP drop by 0.5%.
In mid-2014 the Younhap news agency reported that
for the first time in seven years South Korea’s investment in
China outpaced that from Japan. Over the past two years,
as tensions between China and Japan have risen, exports
from Japan to China have been falling. Japanese FDI into
China declined by almost 50% in the first half of last year
compared with the same period in 2013. Chinese FDI into
Japan in 2013 fell by 23.5%.
While Japan’s interests in China appear to be falling
away, its cooperation with India is accelerating. In
September 2014, the two countries announced a deepening
of their strategic defence and economic cooperation and
asked their officials to expedite inking of a pact for nuclear
energy cooperation. Japan intends to invest US$35 billion in
India over 5 years.
Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at IHS,
speaking about the likely impact on the Chinese economy
said: ‘The impact of Japanese firms diverting their new
FDIs away from China will not have a significant impact on
overall Chinese growth, since total Japanese investment
flows are relatively small compared to the size of China’s
GDP. However it will have implications for the ASEAN
economies, with new FDIs flowing into countries such as
Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar, rather than
into China’.
Is it a simple case of win some, lose some?
Success and progress
The value of South Korea’s construction industry increased
at a compound annual growth rate of 2.4% during
2009 – 13. Growth was supported by private and public
investments in infrastructure, industrial and commercial
construction projects. Of particular importance is the
country’s energy infrastructure construction, which is
expected to be supported by the government’s plans to
develop nuclear energy, increasing its usage to half of the
total energy consumption by 2022. The country has plans
to increase the use of nuclear energy from 29.2% of total
energy consumption in 2012 to 43.4% by 2022 and 59.0%
by 2030. To achieve this, 18 new nuclear power plants
are proposed to be built by 2030, with an anticipated
investment of US$32 – 40 billion.
An extraordinary example of South Korea’s technical
prowess is being revealed through the construction of
Songdo, known as ‘The World’s Smartest City’, or ‘The City
of the Future’, along the River Incheon waterfront. It lies
65 km southwest of Seoul and is connected to Incheon
International Airport by a 12.3 km reinforced concrete
bridge. Built on 1500 acres of land reclaimed from a
marshy stretch of tidal flats in the Yellow Sea, Songo
International Business District claims to be the largest
private real estate development in history. It is said that
the reclaimed area required 500 million t of sand as infill.
At a cost of US$40 billion the government is creating
a sustainable city. After 11 years and a few economic
downturns, some 60% of the planned infrastructure and
buildings have been completed. The development will
have 40% of its area reserved as green space, including
a park of 100 acres, 26 km of cycle lanes and numerous
charging stations for electric vehicles.
Sources
FTAs and FDIs
While the US-China declaration on new limits on carbon
emissions was a top item on the agenda at November’s
APEC Summit in Beijing, another important decision was
reached by the Chinese and South Korean governments.
They said they had effectively achieved a free trade
agreement (FTA) that would remove or sharply reduce
•
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26 \
February 2015
World Cement
Company news/press information.
China Cement News.
Reuters.
Bloomberg.
Markets Research Reports.biz.
Financial Times.
Taipei Times.
Timetric.com.
www.business-standard.com.
Deutsche Welle.
That
was Publication
a sample of World Cement’s
Global
February issue
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