France: Germany-based ThyssenKrupp has won a contract for the installation of a new 4000t/day clinker line at Ciments Calcia’s Airvault cement plant in Poitou-Charentes. The supplier expects the new line to double the plant’s clinker capacity while also reducing its CO₂ emissions. It is intended to replace the two existing lines at the site.

ThyssenKrupp will supply a 1200t/hr double-shaft hammer crusher, a longitudinal blending bed, a 370t/hr Quadropol QMR² 45/23 type vertical roller mill and a 10,000t tangential blending silo to process raw materials for the line. A single-string, five-stage Dopol type cyclone preheater with integral calciner will be supplied that is suitable to use with alternative fuels, with the possibility of conversion to oxyfuel in future. ThyssenKrupp plans to preassemble the preheater, reducing anticipated construction time ‘by several months.’ The plant also includes a Polytrack clinker cooler, a solid recovered fuel (SRF) preparation line and dedusting systems. Commissioning is scheduled for mid-2024.

No value for the project has been disclosed by Ciments Calcia or ThyssenKrupp. However, Ciments Calcia previously announced a proposed investment of Euro300m in January 2021.

India: UltraTech Cement plans to increase the production capacity at its Maihar cement plant by 50%. FLSmidth will carry out the expansion project, which also involves the installation of a new calciner and JetFlex burner along with other pyroprocessing equipment. The supplier says that the upgrade will facilitate greater alternative fuel substitution at the plant in Madhya Pradesh.

FLSmidth’s cement president Carsten Riisberg Lund said “We are pleased to continue our long-lasting collaboration with UltraTech Cement. With the new upgrades to the pyro sections, installing MissionZero flagship offerings, such as the low-NO_x calciner and JetFlex burner, UltraTech makes a significant investment in future-proofing its sustainable production.”

Indonesia: FLSmidth has won a contract for the supply of a new alternative fuel (AF) line to Indocement’s Tunggal Prakarsa cement plant consisting of a HotDisc-S combustion device and feeding systems. The supplier says that the line will enable AF derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) to replace coal at the plant.

Cement business president Carsten Riisberg Lund said that MSW processing is ‘a growing challenge in many parts of the world.’ He continued, “The cement industry is well-positioned to be part of the solution, and we see more and more cement producers successfully replacing fossil fuels with AF. I am very pleased that we can support Indocement in its sustainability ambitions in Indonesia, particularly at a site we helped to build in 2000.”

Canada: St Mary’s Cement plans to apply for a licence to substitute alternative fuel (AF) for a part of its coal, gas and petcoke fuel mix. The plant previously held a two-week AF substitution trial in May 2011. CBC News has reported that the subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos will present its plan at an evening meeting for the general public on 18 November 2021. The company says that it plans to implement similar AF arrangements to those at its Bowmanville plant, where it uses 90,000t/yr of biomass, wood from construction and demolition and non-recyclable paper and plastics.

Environmental manager Ruben Plaza said "Lower CO₂ emissions is the first consideration and, equally as important, the material has to be approved and available in sufficient quantities with a reliable and sustainable long-term supply."