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Morten Kyhnau Hansen FLSmidth Alternative Fuels, Denmark

Possibilities for the use of alternative fuels in

the cement industry
In this paper, FLSmidth – recent winner of the Global Fuels Award 2008 for Most Innovative
Technology – presents an overview of the technology and services it provides that make it possible
for cement producers to efficiently replace fossil fuels by alternative fuels.

T he use of alternative fuels in the cement industry

has increased dramatically in the past decade, with
different developments achieved in different parts of the
world. However, a strong global trend is evident, which
is expected to continue at an even faster pace in the
coming decades.
Fuel changes in the cement industry are nothing
new. The main fuels used have changed substantially
during the past century. Oil has to a large extent been
replaced by coal, of which a large fraction lately has
been replaced by petcoke (and natural gas). In some
countries alternative fuels are the principal fuel used
in the cement industry. A good example is that of Ger-
many (Figure 1).
The use of alternative fuels has become more es-
tablished and accepted by the industry as a whole. In
continuation of this development there has been a
desire from cement producers for a more complete
scope of supply of equipment and services related to
alternative fuels. To address these needs FLSmidth has
established a group solely dedicated to this endeavour
– FLSmidth Alternative Fuels. In addition to supply-
ing market leading machines, FLSmidth is now able to
take responsibility for complete alternative fuel project
implementation – as well as for any form of technical
service required.
• Oil sludge from refineries;
• Municipal solid waste, either raw or sorted and re-
fined fractions such as refuse derived fuel (RDF);
• Meat and bone meal.
Biofuels are fuels that are derived from forestry and
agricultural waste. The types are many and will reflect
the local agriculture and forestry. Examples of biofuels
include:
• Wood chips;
• Straw;
• Rice husk;
• Coffee husk;
• Bio oils (e.g. palm oil);
• Ethanol produced from biomass (bioethanol);
• Chicken manure;
• Residues from palm oil production.
This list is not complete and one main characteristic of
alternative fuels is that the availability very much de-
pends on local conditions. There is not a world market
for alternative fuels as the volume specific value is low Figure 1: Usage of
and does not make transportation over long distances alternative fuels in
the whole German
feasible. This means that the availability of alternative cement industry
fuels in terms of quality, quantity and price must be es- from 1999-2005.
tablished individually for each cement producer.

What are alternative fuels? 50,0

The term alternative fuels is not strictly defined, but in
this context refers to fuels that differ from today’s stand-
40,0
ard. This also means that the term is dynamic; what are
today’s alternative fuels will become standard fuels in
the future. Thus in today’s cement industry context, al- 30,0
ternative fuels include all fuels other than gas, oil, coal
and petcoke.
Generally alternative fuels can be divided into two 20,0
main groups: Waste fuels and biofuels. Waste fuels are
fuels derived from household waste and industrial waste
and include: 10,0
• Plastics;
• Paper;
0,0
• Used tyres;
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
• Sewage sludge;

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Why use alternative fuels? 1000
Cement producers find the use of alternative B ulky waste
fuels desirable for two main reasons: & biomass
• To lower or eliminate the fuel costs;
• To reduce greenhouse gas emissions (mainly
100
Shr edded waste
CO2). & biomass
Figure 3: Particle The two greatest variable production costs for
sizes and burnout cement producers have been fuel and power
times for different Pulver ised
consumption. This makes reductions in fuel
fuels used in the
cost very attractive. Reduction of greenhouse
fuel
cement industry. 10
gas emissions is also relevant because the ce-
ment industry accounts for approximately 5%
of CO2 emissions globally. For society the use of
waste derived fuels in the cement industry rep-
resents an environmentally and economically 1
attractive means of waste disposal.
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
D iameter (mm )
Technical challenges
Alternative fuels have different properties than
the fuels they replace and the use of alternative fuels will 2. The diffusion of O2 limits the combustion of alter-
therefore introduce challenges for the design and op- native fuel rates to a much larger extent than fossil
eration of the fuel system and indeed the whole cement fuels;
plant. Figure 2 presents an overview of the many aspects 3. Temperature does not have a strong effect on burn-
to be coordinated when firing alternative fuels on a ce- out of alternative fuels;
ment plant. The technical challenges can be divided into 4. Particle size is not simply related to sieve residue for
five categories: alternative fuels;
• Proper burnout of the fuel; 5. The heating value of many alternative fuels is lower
• Maintaining clinker chemistry; than for the standard fuels.
• Maintaining proper control of the process; Figure 3 shows an overview of particle sizes and burn-
• Maintaining the production capacity; out times for different fuels used in the cement industry.
• Keeping emissions within requirements Cement plants have traditionally been designed for
burning pulverised fuels with particle sizes generally
Figure 2: Illustration
Proper burnout smaller than 0.1mm, which generally burn out within
of the many details There are several characteristic differences between the 10s of particle residence time. Alternative fuels – in
to be coordinated combustion behaviour of solid alternative fuels and shredded or bulk form – generally have much larger
when firing solid fossil fuels. particle sizes, which result in substantially increased
alternative fuels
on a cement plant.
1. The pyrolysis rate typically has a great influence on times required to burn them out. Unless specific design
alternative fuel burnout, whereas its influence typi- considerations are taken, operational difficulties are to
cally is insignificant for fossil fuels; be expected. Thus in order to ensure proper burnout of
the fuel it is necessary to evaluate the
process carefully and perhaps to make
modifications to the calciner or other
R ec eiving, components.
s torage & Overall aspects:
pretreatment • Control/regulation Clinker chemistry
• Clinker production, heat consumption, availability Alternative fuels frequently contain
• Chemistry impurities such as phosphates, chlo-
rine, heavy metals, etc. The clinker
C onveyal E mis s ions chemistry is mainly affected by minor
components, e.g. Zn or P from tyre-
derived fuels or meat and bone meal
respectively. Other alternative fuel
Dos age C alc iner
impurities, for example coarse quartz
&
particles, may also interfere with sat-
HOT DIS C
isfactory clinker formation. Practical
experiences show that the use of al-
K iln burner
ternative fuels rarely affect the clinker
chemistry, but it is an issue that must
B ac k-end be addressed in the design phase of a
& project.
B ypas s
mid-kiln

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Process control
Using alternative fuels leads to
challenges in the control system
that are due to the different physi-
cal and chemical properties of the
fuels. As with standard fuels, it is
vital to have accurate control over
the feeding rate of the fuel. This
can be more difficult with alterna-
tive fuels due to the fuels being less
homogenous than standard fuels.
Thus the handling and feeding sys-
tems must be carefully designed
to deliver the fuel as mixed and
homogenised at possible in order
to allow for a good control of the
feeding rate.

Figure 4: Illustration
Calciner type SLC SLC-D ILC low-NO
Ox ILC low NO
Ox (high T) ILC low NO
Ox with Hotdisc of the great effect of
calciner design and
NO
Ox (hv, coal) 850 830 380 330 410 of fuel properties on
NO
Ox (petcoke) 1600 870 1180 720 1780 NOx emission levels
(mg NO2/Nm3 @ 10%
O2).

Layout
Figure 5: Illustration
of the significant
effect of calciner
design and fuel
properties on NOx
emission levels.

Production capacity filter dust. If an appropriate bleed of Hg from the system

For existing plants designed to operate on fossil fuels,
switching to alternative fuels may cause production ca-
pacity to be limited by capacity on ID fan. This is mainly
due to the increased amount of flue gas and pressure loss
that are to be expected when switching from fossil to
alternative fuels. The increase in flue gas flow using al-
ternative fuels is mainly a consequence of the increased
moisture content of the fuels. In addition, plants using
alternative fuels typically also employ a bypass to com-
pensate for increased chlorine inputs, which will also
increase the flue gas flow. It is therefore important that
a thorough process analysis of the system is performed
to avoid loss of production capacity. Whether it is a new
plant or a retrofit, FLSmidth can perform this analysis,
and suggestions to system modifications are made to
ensure that the alternative fuels utilisation will not have
a severe impact on production capacity.
Emissions
When using alternative fuels, CO (carbon monox-
ide) NOx, and Hg emissions, are among the issues to
be dealt with carefully. Alternative fuels may contain
higher amounts of Hg than fossil fuels, e.g. municipal
solid waste and sewage sludge. Hg is very volatile and
only a negligible amount of the input is found in the
clinker. Consequently, Hg is ultimately concentrated
in the colder parts of the system, e.g. raw meal silo and
is not applied, e.g. filter dust removal during raw mill
processing, the average gaseous Hg emission level will
equal the input level. Reduction of Hg emissions can
also be achieved using activated carbon.
Alternative fuels can contain higher amounts of
nitrogen, which can lead to higher NOx emissions. How-
ever, NOx can be reduced by process design. FLSmidth
offers calciner solutions that are specifically designed for
low NOx emissions. NOx can also be actively reduced by
injecting NH3 in the flue gas, hereby using a Selective
Non-Catalytic Reduction, (SNCR), process.
Alternative fuels have different combustion charac-
teristics to fossil fuels. This feature will influence the
CO formation mechanism and hence emission levels.
Theoretical models and plant measurements have shown
that CO oxidation rates under conditions pertinent to
preheaters drop drastically with temperature. At tem-
peratures pertinent to calciners, the CO oxidation rate is
relatively good. However with decreasing temperatures
the CO oxidation rate drops – and below 650°C almost
no CO oxidation takes place. It is therefore important
that the calciner is designed appropriately to reduce CO
before it escapes to the preheater and further that the
feeding of the fuel is well controlled.
Financial possibilities
The use of alternative fuels offers cement producers new

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possibilities for lowering
production costs via re-
duced fuel costs. In some
cases the use of alternative
fuels can even be a new
source of revenue. In many
countries such as Germany,
cement plants are getting
paid for receiving waste
fuels. The reduced emis-
sion of CO2 as a result of
using alternative fuels can,
in some cases, be converted
into revenue by selling
carbon credits. One way of
achieving this is to establish
a project under the Clean
Development Mechanism
(CDM) which is a part of
the Kyoto protocol.
FLSmidth technology
for alternative fuels
Figure 6: Duoflex FLSmidth offers many products suited for handling of
kiln burner for firing firing alternative fuels in kiln systems for cement pro-
liquid and solid duction.
alternative fuels in
the rotary kiln.
Calciner solutions
Calciner solutions should be designed to suit proc-
ess and plant specific considerations, as well as to the
properties of the intended fuels. Figure 4 summarises
the main categories of calciner solution supplied by
Figure 7: The FLSmidth. Figure 5 illustrates the significant effect that
Hotdisc, used to fire calciner design and fuel properties have on NOx emis-
bulky waste and
biomass to sion levels.
substitute calciner Complete kiln systems can be designed for using
fuel. alternative fuels as the principal fuel. Alternatively – if
large amounts of alterna-
Waste inlet
Hot tertiary air tive fuels are not to be used
immediately – design con-
siderations can be made
Raw meal facilitating future usage
Cold raw inlet of alternative fuel. A Du-
meal inlet
oflex kiln burner (shown
in Figure 6) provides for
firing of both liquid and
solid alternative fuels in
the rotary kiln. A Hotdisc
Burning material allows for bulky waste and
Rotating disc biomass to substitute for
calciner fuel (Figure 7). The
Hotdisc may be installed
Kiln riser duct
immediately, or simply be
prepared for alternative
fuel as a future option. An
ILC calciner is installed
with provision for extend-
Scraper ing the residence time in
Ashes
Kiln gases the future is shown. A by-
pass is included to alleviate
the chlorine loading of the
32 globalfuelsMAGAZINEMay 2008
kiln system. This may also simply be provided for as a
future option.
Storage, handling and feeding systems
Storage and extraction systems are also supplied by FLS-
midth. KOCH, an FLSmidth group company, supplies
silo extraction systems specifically designed to eliminate
bridging phenomena, thereby ensuring reliable fuel
feed. FLSmidth group company Pfister supplies accu-
rate dosage systems for solid alternative fuel (Figure 8).
Both pneumatic and mechanical conveying systems are
supplied. For example KOCH supplies tube conveyors,
which provides a flexible solution for reliable mechanical
conveying of solid alternative fuel (Figure 9). FLSmidth
Automation supplies the multi fuel controller, which is
very valuable for ensuring stable operation when firing
a number of alternative fuels simultaneously.
Conclusions
The trends in the cement industry and in society in
general show that alternative fuel is an important fuel
presently and its usage in the global cement industry
will increase rapidly. This is because fuel costs can be
substantially reduced and because its use can reduce
greenhouse gas emissions from the cement industry.
Alternative fuels differ from fossil fuels in many as-
pects. Therefore, these differences ideally should be dealt
with at the design stage. This is relevant for the design
of specific sub-processes
as well as for the process
as a whole. Substantial
advantages are linked
to considering linkages
between all aspects of
the clinker production
process – including han-
dling of alternative fuel
prior to being admitted Figure 8:
Pfister’s rotor-
to the process. FLSmidth
weigh feeder for
addresses all aspects of
accurate dosage
optimal alternative fuel of solid
use on cement plants. alternative fuels.
Figure 9: KOCH tube convey-
ance giving flexible and reliable
mechanical conveyance of solid
alternative fuel.